This week's round up of news from the world of heavy lift and project forwarding.

This week has been a busy one for HLPFI and the industry alike, with exhibitions and conferences dotted around the world.

In Russia, where growth is stagnant, inflation is increasing, the currency continues to fall in value, the falling oil price is putting pressure on the government and the country's foreign reserves are not as plentiful as the headline numbers suggest, Moscow hosted the annual Heavy Russia event.

This welcomed an impressive number of professionals involved in the Russian project forwarding market to engage in a lively and spirited conference. Despite an interesting English translation, HLPFI's Annie Roberts and David Kershaw came away with a better understanding of the country's vast opportunities and the obstacles standing in the way of those prospects.

The start of the week also saw CLC Projects host its conference in Istanbul, which Bo Drewsen said was one the network's "most memorable", whilst the Project Cargo Network (PCN) kicked off its fourth annual summit in style on Monday, receiving a record number of delegates at its event in Rome.

The week concluded with highly anticipated Breakbulk Turkey event, which heard Michael Weiss, managing partner and global strategy team member with international business consultant A.T Kearney's Turkish practice, deliver a comprehensive economic outlook for the region. 

Weiss described Turkey's growth and economic ambitions as huge, but showed how many of the countries bordering Turkey are seeing shrinking economies amid difficult geopolitical situations. Meanwhile, Uygar Yörük, from Deloitte's Turkish practice illustrated the 'mega projects' that are in the pipeline for the Turkish energy market, and the opportunities they may bring to companies involved in project logistics.

This week's Friday Flyer is sponsored by Air Charter Service (ACS), which specialises in arranging charters on cargo aircraft, as well as private jets and group charters. With 18 offices spanning North America, South America, Europe, CIS, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, ACS is globally recognised as one of the leading names in air cargo chartering.

 

In business

The European Commission suspects that a number of heavy and medium-duty truck manufacturers have participated in a cartel, breaching antitrust rules.

Rickmers-Linie and BBC Chartering both revealed their low sulphur surcharges for breakbulk and containerised cargo.

PB Sea-Tow agreed to sell its 50 percent stake in Offshore Marine Services Alliance (OMSA) to joint venture partner Skilled Offshore.

High performance rope manufacturer Samson completed a 4,500 sq m expansion at its Ferndale, Washington facility.

Broekman Distriport is expanding its terminal at the Port of Rotterdam by 50,000 sq m to serve the western Scandinavian market.

 

Capacity developments

 

The inland port of Kolomna, in southeast Moscow, has developed a floating crane named the Kolomenets.

Deltamarin is to provide Aker Artic Technology with basic design services for ZPMC-Red Box Energy Services' two polar class heavy deck carriers.

Terex Cranes is expanding its Explorer series by adding a new model in the 130-tonne capacity class: the Explorer 5500.

 

Shipment of the week

Turkish heavy haulage company Botros-Yigit-Nata (BYN) used two Goldhofer ten-axle THP/SL heavy-duty modules to transport a 247-tonne boiler from the Turkish port of Iskenderun to a refinery in Erbil, Iraq. The boiler, which had a length of almost 62 m and a diameter of 3.5 m, was first shipped from Jebel Ali to the port of Iskenderun, from where the cargo was transported over 1,150 km to the refinery. Goldhofer claims that this was the first time a load of this size has been transported to Iraq, via Turkey, in a single operation. See more here.

 

On the move

Effective January 1, 2015, Laura Langh-Lagerlöf will take over from her father, Hans Langh, as managing director of Oy Langh Ship. Soren Poulsen (pictured) was appointed ceo for the Greater China Area at Agility; while Rhenus Logistics appointed Russell Turner as branch manager at the forwarder's Cannock, UK branch. Michael S. Ferguson accepted the position of president for Metro Ports, replacing former interim president Norman Hauser. Geodis Wilson extended its network of hubs dedicated to the logistics demands of the oil and gas industry with the opening of a new office in Singapore.

 

Network and association developments

The Project Cargo Network (PCN) welcomed three new members to its roster, including: Kings Line International Freight Forwarding Company (KIFFCO) representing Afghanistan; GoTrans Logistics in the Dominican Republic; and Destinators as a new representative in Lebanon. The XLProjects (XLP) network gained A&E Freight Logistics in Costa Rica. The latest members to join the Pacific Power Logistics (PPL) network were Peru's International Freight Shipping and Midex Madagascar; while the CLC Projects network added Tanzania's ABG African Link Traders to its group.

 

All about Evie

Evie notes that the SC&R Foundation is seeking jobsite footage from SC&RA members for a video under production, which will primarily be used to recruit young people to the industry.

Ideally, specialised carrier footage should show loads being tied down, inspected or transported, and crane and rigging footage should demonstrate equipment being assembled properly, followed by a successful lift. The deadline is December 4 and any questions should be sent to Jackie Roskos at jroskos@scranet.org

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