gctl8.com - Greater China Transport Logistics

Deutsche Bahn to invest EUR19m in expansion project

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:48:00 GMT+08:00

MAINZ, July 29 (GCTL) - Deutsche Bahn is to invest around EUR 19 million by 2014 in the expansion and modernization of transshipment and storage capacity on Duisburg’s Coal Island. This was approved in a recent decision made by the Management Board of DB Mobility Logistics AG. Coal Island in the Port of Duisburg, which is an ideal strategic location for the transshipment of imported bulk ...

Finnair to expand its long-haul fleet

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:41:00 GMT+08:00

HELSINKI, July 29 (GCTL) - Finnair will acquire two Airbus A340 wide-bodied aircraft on lease agreements of around four years from the leasing company ILFC to meet its growing long-haul traffic needs. The aircraft, which will join the airline's fleet in late 2010 and early 2011, will boost the airline's current fleet of 12 Airbus long-haul aircraft, which fly to nine destinations in Asia as we...

MOL turns into the black in Q1

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:50:00 GMT+08:00

TOKYO, July 29 (GCTL) - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has reported that its net income in the first quarter of FY 2010 had turned into the black with 20.82 million yen, compared with a loss of 13.01 million yen in the previous corresponding quarter in FY 2009. The Japanese shipping line said its revenues in the same period was 396.98 million yen, up 33.45 percent compared with revenues in the...

POLB releases final Gerald Desmond Bridge report

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:25:00 GMT+08:00

LONG BEACH, July 29 (GCTL) - The Port of Long Beach has released the final environmental analysis for a plan to replace the aging Gerald Desmond Bridge with a new, nearly $1 billion span that would improve traffic flow, safety and vessel navigation. The document is available on the Port’s website and is scheduled on Aug. 9 to be considered for approval by the Board of Harbour Commissioners. ...

Taipei urges JAL to restart talks

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:11:00 GMT+08:00

TAIPEI, July 29 (GCTL) - The Taipei City Government’s Department of Labour Affairs has urged Japan Airlines (JAL) to suspend its layoff process and restart negotiations with employees at its Taiwan branch after a small group of flight attendants protested against the Japanese airline’s layoff policy. There are currently 142 flight attendants at the company’s Taiwan branch. Due to financia...

Jeju Air plans int'l flights

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:43:00 GMT+08:00

SEOUL, July 29 (GCTL) - Jeju Air has flown in the Korean skies for just over four years — the longest history among domestic low-cost airliners — but it dreams big, aiming to become a major airline in the global aviation industry by expanding its international routes. Its plan to reach the next level in terms of brand status and operation is focused on safety, which will be further ensured ...

Penang port needs a month to solve congestion woes

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:33:00 GMT+08:00

GEORGE TOWN, July 29 (GCTL) - Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) needs one month to solve the congestion problems at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) as the new decking area with 3,000 ground slots will only be ready by then. Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Tan Cheng Liang told a press conference that all the port users had agreed to wait till next month for PPSB to solve the conge...

Pakistan plane crashes

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:27:00 GMT+08:00

ISLAMABAD, July 29 (GCTL) - A passenger jet carrying 152 people crashed into the hills surrounding Pakistan's capital amid rain and caught fire yesterday, killing all aboard. The Airbus 321 operated by private airline Airblue smashed into the Margalla Hills overlooking Islamabad while trying to land after a flight from Karachi. The cause of the Airblue crash was not immediately clear, said P...

DP World ports report rise in H1 business

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:13:00 GMT+08:00

DUBAI, July 29 (GCTL) - Dubai World's global port operator said on Tuesday that business jumped 16 per cent in the first half of the year as the shipping industry showed signs of life following a severe slump caused by the global downturn. Cargo volumes were up most sharply at ports DP World manages in Asia, Australia and parts of Europe, said the port firm, which is the world's fourth-largest...

Cochin Port reports rise in cargo throughput

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:51:00 GMT+08:00

KOCHI, July 29 (GCTL) - Cochin Port has recorded an excellent first quarter with cargo throughput here going up 23 percent between April and June this year, Port Trust sources said. The change is a healthy one because Kochi Port is going through a cargo profile change, Port sources added as they pointed to the quantum jump in throughput of items like liquid bulk cargo and construction materials...

Nigerian ports inefficiency cause of cargo diversion - Minister

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:32:00 GMT+08:00

ABUJA, July 29 (GCTL) - Nigeria's Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, has blamed inefficiency of port operators and insincerity on the part of some of the nation's importers for the diversion of vessels to neighbouring states, even as he disclosed that Nigeria will soon host a shipping conference for members of the G8 nations. Speaking at a reception for members of the Council for the...

Foreign airlines set for takeoff in China

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:26:00 GMT+08:00

BEIJING, July 29 (GCTL) - Foreign airlines can expect to receive more flight slots in the future at China's busiest airport in the capital, Beijing, as a result of government efforts to increase transparency and build an international hub, an official said. He Yan, director of slot management for the North China regional administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said ...

China builds cold chain standards with US help

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:15:00 GMT+08:00

BEIJING, July 29 (GCTL) - As China begins establishing cold chain national standards to boost the industry's development, the US is lending a helping hand to create a win-win situation for both sides, a US official said. A cold chain is a supply chain system for keeping perishable food in a low-temperature environment from processing to storage, transport, distribution, retail and finally to cu...

China gets WTO backing in US chicken import row

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:09:00 GMT+08:00

BEIJING, July 29 (GCTL) - China has notched up a victory against the United States after a World Trade Organisation (WTO)< a> panel ruled in Mainland China's favour in a dispute over the ban on imports of Chinese chicken, China's Commerce Ministry sources said. The ruling is expected to come into effect soon and will help open up the US market for finished chicken breast exports, the sour...

MTL investment in Taicang terminal pays off

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:29:00 GMT+08:00

HONG KONG, July 29 (GCTL) - Hong Kong-based operator Modern Terminals Ltd (MTL) is enjoying the results of its investment in Taicang International Gateway, a deep-water terminal, as manufacturers relocate from Shanghai to southern Jiangsu, where costs are much cheaper, CNA reported. The rapid development of Shanghai's financial and service industries has raised labour costs and rents in the cit...

CMA CGM ups capacity on Americas service via Suez

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:17:00 GMT+08:00

LE HAVRE, July 29 (GCTL) - Shipping giant CMA CGM has announced it is increasing ship size on its butterfly Columbus service it runs with Maersk Line, linking Asia with Pacific Northwest ports on one leg and the US east coast via Suez on the other. "We have decided to optimise the Columbus service to keep pace with our customer needs while offering a high quality service," said Nort...

Tsakos Energy Navigation buys four Panamax tankers

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:56:00 GMT+08:00

ATHENS, Greece, July 29 (GCTL) - Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN) has announced the concurrent acquisition of four fully-coated 2009 Korean-built panamax tankers, two to be delivered immediately and two in the fourth quarter of 2010, as well as the sale of the 1990-built panamax tanker Victory III to a third party. The first two vessels, World Harmony and Chantal, are direct replacements...

MOL's VLCC suffers hull damage

gctl8.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:01:00 GMT+08:00

TOKYO, July 29 (GCTL) - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has reported that its VLCC M. STAR suffered hull damage caused by an explosion which seemed to be an attack from external sources which occurred at about 5:30 a.m. JST (00:30 local time) yesterday July 28, west of the Strait of Hormuz at 26º27’ N 56º14’ E (Oman territorial waters). The degree and details of hull damage are currently ...

IATA members report June int'l freight demand up 26.5pc

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:46:00 GMT+08:00

GENEVA, July 28 (GCTL) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that international freight demand grew 26.5 percent in June 2010, down from the 34 percent recorded in May 2010. May was exceptionally high as some interrupted traffic from April’s ash crisis shifted to May. Volumes remain 6 percent above the pre-recession peak in early 2008. Freight demand continues...

Association of Pacific Ports new president elected

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:58:00 GMT+08:00

LONG BEACH, July 28 (GCTL) - Long Beach Harbour Commissioner Mario Cordero has been elected president of the Association of Pacific Ports for a one-year term, according to an announcement made at the group’s recent annual conference in Stevenson, Wash. Cordero will be president of the association when Long Beach hosts the annual conference in 2011. He served as First Vice President of the org...

MAS chairman’s contract extended

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:56:00 GMT+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (GCTL) - Malaysia Airlines (MAS) System Bhd has extended the contract of its non-executive chairman by another year, until July 31 next year, Business Times reported, citing its officials. Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Munir Majid's contract would have expired on August 1, this year.

Evergreen orders 500 FEU reefers from Shanghai Reeferco

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:46:00 GMT+08:00

TAIPEI, July 28 (GCTL) - Taiwan's Evergreen Line has ordered 500 FEU in reefer boxes for US$4.4 million from Shanghai Reeferco Container, a unit of Hong Kong's Singamas Container Holdings, according to the Shipping Gazette. Evergreen told London's Containerisation International that "reasons for the investment are to replace existing ones and for business needs. These new reefer containers...

C. Eastern in jv deal with Yunnan govt

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:45:00 GMT+08:00

SHANGHAI, July 28 (GCTL) - China Eastern Airlines Corp, the nation's third largest air carrier, has announced that it will set up a 3.66-billion-yuan (US$540.3 million) joint venture airline company in southwest China's Yunnan province in collaboration with the local government. According to agreements signed by China Eastern and the province's State-owned assets watchdog, the carrier will inve...

Chinese aviation industry merger in the works - report

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:42:00 GMT+08:00

BEIJING, July 28 (GCTL) - China National Aviation Holding Company, parent company of Air China, is to take over China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CASC), a major aircraft and material provider for domestic airlines, as part of the government's plan to consolidate the aviation industry, a source said. The proposal is subject to approval by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administra...

MAHB to offer airport mgt services to Hunan airport

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:35:00 GMT+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (GCTL) - Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB)'s subsidiary, Malaysia Airports Consultancy Services Sdn Bhd (MACS), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nagamas Enterprise (HK) Ltd (NEL) to provide airport operations, management and technical consultancy services to the Yongzhou Lingling Airport in Hunan, China. The MoU is also to participate in serving othe...

EU approves UAL's purchase of Continental

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:20:00 GMT+08:00

BRUSSELS, July 28 (GCTL) - United Airlines parent UAL won unconditional EU regulatory approval on Tuesday for its US$3.17 billion purchase of Continental . UAL, which unveiled the deal in May, had said the combined company would fly to 370 destinations and have 10 hubs worldwide, helping it attract more business travellers. The global downturn has hit the airline industry already under press...

Korean Air to launch Shanghai-Pyongyang direct flights

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:17:00 GMT+08:00

SHANGHAI, July 28 (GCTL) - Korean Airlines Company, the national flag carrier of South Korea, is scheduled to launch direct tourist charter flights linking Shanghai to Pyongyang in North Korea, with effect from August 6, 2010. The Chinese government had earlier added North Korea as a new outbound travel destination, with effect from April 12, 2010. However, tourists from Shanghai had to transfe...

Daewoo wins 310 bil. won order to build car ferry

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:13:00 GMT+08:00

SEOUL, July 28 (GCTL) - Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., South Korea's No. 2 shipbuilder, said that it has won a 310 billion won (US$262 million) order to build a car ferry for a Tunisian firm, The Korea Times reported, citing its company sources. Under the deal with Tunisia's state-run Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation, Daewoo Shipbuilding will deliver the vessel by the first...

C. Southern launches Nanning-Taipei direct flights

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:05:00 GMT+08:00

NANNING, July 28 (GCTL) - China Southern Airlines Company, the nation's largest carrier, recently launched regular direct flights on the route linking Nanning and Taipei, further enhancing communications between Guangxi province and Taiwan. Guangxi Province currently has three weekly direct flights to Taipei. On May 20, 2009, the first direct charter flight was launched on the route between Gui...

Shipping bottoming on China steel rebound

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:35:00 GMT+08:00

LONDON, July 28 (GCTL) - The smallest profits in the commodity shipping market in 18 months may be ending as a rebound in steel and iron-ore prices signal improving Chinese demand that will ease the transport glut. Chinese steel prices rose 4.7 percent last week, the most in 11 months. Derivatives for fourth-quarter iron-ore prices jumped 23 percent between July 9 and 21, Deutsche Bank AG said....

Union to take legal action over BA's removal of perks

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:25:00 GMT+08:00

LONDON, July 28 (GCTL) - The union representing British Airways (BA) cabin crew said it would take legal action against the airline over the removal of travel concessions from striking workers. BA rejected the claim by the Unite union, saying it could withdraw travel perks at its discretion. The union has been embroiled in a long running dispute with the airline, which has resulted in a seri...

Russia has to expand ports: minister

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:21:00 GMT+08:00

ST PETERSBURG, July 28 (GCTL) - Russia needs to expand its port facilities to meet growing demand from oil, coal and other exporters, Reuters reported, citing Deputy Transport Minister Viktor Olersky. The world's top oil producer and fifth largest coal exporter ships a large proportion of its energy resources to foreign buyers via neighbouring countries due to domestic port limitations. 'The...

CMA CGM Group takes delivery of 11,400 TEU ship

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:22:00 GMT+08:00

SEOUL, July 28 (GCTL) - The CMA CGM

AF-KLM reports strong rise in Q1 cargo revenue

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:11:00 GMT+08:00

PARIS, July 28 (GCTL) - Air France-KLM has reported net income of 736 million euros in the first quarter of its financial year 2010-11, and the results included a strong rise in unit revenues, especially in cargo. The group also reported continued control of unit costs which had resulted in significant improvement in operating result. "Activity in the first quarter saw a strong recovery...

TT Club continues support for FIATA's training initiative

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:06:00 GMT+08:00

LONDON, July 28 (GCTL) - Four regional finalists representing the future of the freight forwarding industry are preparing to travel to Bangkok, Thailand for the FIATA World Congress to be held between October 4-8 2010, the TT Club said. The four, from South Africa, Canada, Singapore and Germany, will each be hoping for selection as the overall Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year...

American Airlines applies for more Brazil frequencies

gctl8.com — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:02:00 GMT+08:00

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 28 (GCTL) - American Airlines has filed an application with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for the right to use three weekly regional Brazil frequencies that Delta Air Lines is relinquishing as of Sept. 7, 2010. “If we are granted the use of these soon-to-be-relinquished frequencies then we could begin flying nonstop between Miami and Brasilia on Nov. 18, 20...