Freight transportation reports, projects and other news from outside North America
10/15/2024
Ugandan government inks deal with Turkish contractor to build $3 billion freight rail line
Uganda enlisted Yapi Merkezi Holding A.S. to build a 272-kilometer freight rail line that will link Uganda with Kenya, according to a series of Oct. 14 posts on the official Twitter/X account of the government of Uganda.
The standard-gauge rail line will stretch from Kenya’s Malaba border post to Kampala, Uganda, to join Kenya’s rail network to Mombasa Port.
The line will have the capacity to carry 25 million tons of cargo annually, Ugandan officials said.
DP World unveils $1.31 billion London Gateway expansion
On Oct. 14, DP World announced a five-year, $1.31 billion expansion London Gateway, which would make it Britain’s largest container port.
The Dubai-based logistics giant plans to build two new shipping berths, bringing the port's total to six; and a second rail terminal to handle the expected increase in containerizzed trade. By decade's end, the full quayside — which will extend more than 2.5 kilometers in length — will be able to simultaneously receive six vessels, each more than 400 meters long, and will feature "Europe’s tallest quay cranes at the height of the Big Ben," DP World officials said.
The expansion will bring DP World's total investment at London Gateway to nearly $4 billion.
DSV to acquire DB Schenker for $15.6 billion
Last month, DSV signed an agreement to acquire transportation and logistics firm Schenker from Germany-based Deutsche Bahn for $15.6 billion.
Combined, Denmark-based DSV and Schenker will have an expected pro forma revenue of $42.8 billion (based on 2023 numbers) and a combined workforce of 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries.
“By adding Schenker’s competencies and expertise to our existing network, we improve our competitiveness across all three divisions: Air & Sea, Road and Solutions," said DSV Group CEO Jens Lund on Sept. 13. "As well as enhancing our commercial platform across DSV, the acquisition will provide our customers with even higher service levels, innovative and seamless solutions and flexibility to their supply chains.”
DSV plans to make $1.1 billion in investments in Germany in the next three to five years. The investments "will contribute to long-term growth and job creation, as well as promoting modern and attractive workplaces," DSV officials said.
Maersk launches ocean service to support Tanzania’s cashew trade
On Oct. 14, A.P. Moller - Maersk announced the launch of the Korosho Express, a seasonal ocean service designed to support the Tanzania cashew trade.
The bi-weekly seasonal ocean service will operate from Mtwara, Tanzania, and provide dedicated capacity to facilitate cashew exports from Tanzania to destination markets in China, India, and Vietnam.
The service will begin in late October and run through February 2025, aligning with the peak cashew season, officials with Copenhagen-based Maersk said.
APM Terminals receives concession extension for Jordan container facility
APM Terminals will operate the Aqaba Container Terminal in Jordan for an additional 15 years.
The extension agreement — The Netherlands-based APM's concession now reaches until 2046 — was approved earlier this month by the Jordanian cabinet.
“This renewal marks the next step of our ambitious future plans to upgrade the terminal in Aqaba, Jordan," CEO Keith Svendsen said on Oct. 2. “The extension of the partnership underlines our successful public-private partnership in Jordan and it will help us expand and develop our relationship even further, exploring the opportunities in creating a green corridor connecting the supply chains of Jordan, while at the same time it is a central value for APM Terminals to develop job opportunities and upskilling of our employees to the benefit of the Kingdom."
The extension agreement includes a commitment to invest $242 million to reduce emissions and reach net zero by 2040, APM officials said.
In 2023, the Aqaba Container Terminal posted had a record-high throughput of more than 898,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, a 5.4% increase compared with 2022's total.
CMA CGM to buy stake in terminal operator Santos Brasil
The CMA CGM Group plans to acquire a c.48% stake in Santos Brasil Participaçoes S.A., a multi-terminal operator whose holdings include the Port of Santos, home to South America’s largest container terminal.
Santos Brasil, multi-terminal operator including South America’s largest container terminal in the Port of Santos, CMA CGM officials announced on Sept. 23.
“I am pleased that the CMA CGM Group has concluded this strategic agreement for the acquisition of Santos Brasil, which operates five terminals in Brazil, including the largest container terminal in the Port of Santos, handling 40% of Brazilian volumes, as well as a logistics company. This significant investment reflects our commitment to strengthening our partnership with Brazil and supporting its growth in the coming years”, said Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM Group.
Santos Brasil manages a portfolio of eight assets on the Brazilian coast, including three container terminals, a vehicle terminal, a liquid bulk terminal and three logistics gacilities. The assets are located in the ports of Santos, Imbituba, Vila do Conde, Itaqui and Sao Paulo. For the year ended June 30, the company posted revenue of $458 million.
Report: More than one in two service robots sold in '23 were built for transportation/logistics
Sales of professional service robots increased by 30% worldwide last year, according to a report issued Oct. 14 by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
More than 205,000 units were registered by IFR's statistics department in 2023. Nearly 80% of the robots were being employed in the Asia-Pacific region with 162,284 units sold, according to IFR's World Robotics 2024 Service Robots report. Europe followed with 33,918 units and the Americas with 8,927 units sold.
"More and more robots are serving on factory floors, in shopping centers or helping with deliveries on the street," said IFR President Marina Bill, president of Frankfurt, Germany-based IFR.
Many of those robots are serving in the transportation and logistics realm. More than one in two professional service robots sold in 2023 were built for the application class "Transportation and Logistics," according to the report. Sales grew by 35%, with nearly 113,000 units sold in 2023.
"As the industry suffers from a significant labor shortage, there is a strong demand for technological support," IFR officials said. "For example, one of the most time-consuming tasks for truck drivers is loading and unloading, where robotic applications offer dedicated solutions for automation. Making the application easy to use and understand for non-technical staff is key to adoption."
A shortage of skilled workers is also driving demand for automation in outdoor environments without public traffic, IFR officials said. Robot types in this class range from automated conventional vehicles, such as forklifts or tractors, to customized solutions, often with a weatherproof enclosure for the goods being transported.
By sea: ONE, HMM, Yang Ming extend East-West alliance
Ocean Network Express Holdings Ltd. (ONE), HMM Co. Ltd. and Yang Ming Marine Transportation Corp. have been cooperating along key trade routes since March. Now, the ocean carriers plan to continue to doing so for the next five-plus years.
Unveiled last month, the Premier Alliance comprises mainline services across the major East-West trade lines: Asia to the North American West Coast; Asia to the North American East Coast; Asia to the Mediterranean; Asia to North Europe; and Asia to the Middle East.
“We are very pleased to announce that our strategic partnership with HMM and Yang Ming in the East-West trades will be further continued," said Jeremy Nixon, CEO of Singapore-based ONE, on Sept. 9. "The close network collaboration that exists between the three companies will be further strengthened and enhanced under this new collaboration starting from February 2025. Collectively this new tripartite alliance will offer strong, reliable and highly dependable end-to-end direct port container services to its customers on both the Transpacific and Asia-Europe trades.”