Dear Readers,
It’s thursday 30th August and we are in your inbox again. Today I am going to talk a bit about flying and double standards. What does double standards mean? It can be many things but just recently we had an example here in Sweden (where I am residing) a member of the cabinet belonging to the Green & Environment party was found out to have flown for more than 200,000 USD in air tickets around the world and most of the trips on business class, of course.
The very same minister has been a strong proponent of asking “normal people” to fly less and have also been a party to increasing the taxes that everyday working people must pay in order to take a flight in/out of Sweden whether for business or pleasure. Fly high and you fall far and be a holier than thou person with a green agenda whilst not actively walking the talk. In the end it only exposes the double standards.
Now, jealousy is nothing that I am prone to but I mention the business class because if a flight has business class seats then there are less seats available and less passengers can be carried thus hampering the environmental footprint that we all wish to reduce in a global and increasingly “hot” world.
Flying generally is great and I have had many flights around the world. I still have a statistic from my travel agent showing that during the period between 2001-2003 when I was still part of building up Martin Bencher Group I was nowhere more than 3 weeks for a period of 2 years. So I certainly made my impact on the environment – although that didn’t worry me too much, turbulence did.
Here is a link to a video that tells you why not to worry – https://youtu.be/BbVu4BvSVvc so make sure you have a few stiff drinks after take-off, that is a golden rule or, like a friend of mine at an AA meeting once told me…”I simply couldn’t stand listening to the sound of the drinks cart coming towards my seat”.
Well with four months left of the year we need to get back to business, improve our bottom line before the end of the year and stress ourselves out to grab that bonus.
Here is what we have in store for you today; an international German company with a good concept, we then visit the country with great food, scenery and wines, South Africa and we end up in a similarly well reputed country for good food and samba, Brazil.
In all countries we interview project freight forwarders that each have their own speciality in moving project cargo. With the usual “after dinner sweets” ending the newsletter I wish you a good read.
Until next week, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Conceptum Logistics Gmbh – Germany
Interview with
Mr. Thomas Heidorn
Marketing Manager
You are an established project freight forwarder, please provide us with a couple of examples of recent projects that you are proud to have handled.
We are proud of every shipment we handle, however the most considerable were surely the bigger ones we recently executed, such as the two ship loaders with all together 67,070.00 frts we moved from China to Guinea respectively from Guinea to Belgium; the two stacker reclaimers with 72,654.00 frts from China to Australia; a 50,000.00 cbm Cement plant ex worldwide to Colombia or the straddle carriers we just moved ex Poland to Abu Dhabi.
FOX Brasil – Project Logistics, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Interview with
Mr. Murilo Caldana
Project Director
When was FOX Brasil was established Murilo? Who owns the company?
FOX Brasil was established at the heart of São Paulo, Brazil and has been operating since 2002, with the idea of be the most reliable Brazilian freight forwarder & logistics solutions provider in the market. Simon Sousa and Caio Augusto Ramos founded the company. In 2012, FOX Brasil | Project Logistics was established in partnership with myself.
FATS (Forwarding African Transport Services) – Durban, South Africa
Interview with
Ms. Caron Harris
Durban is an important sea and transshipment port in South Africa. Elaborate on the possibilities you have for transshipment to other neighbouring countries?
Durban is a critical port for Project Cargo to numerous of our landlocked neighbours the Democratic of Congo, Lubumbashi (DRC), Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, Swaziland & Lesotho.
Chinese Tourist ‘Invasion’ Feared as High-Speed Laos-China Railway will Boost Visitor Numbers Dramatically
Editor’s Note:
China is actively developing the railway links also with SE Asia. In a couple of years it will be possible to go by train from China to Singapore via Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. See this article for a bit more information about what it means both for transport and for tourism in Indochina.
Chinese nationals already make up about 11 per cent of visitors to Laos. When the railway is finished, that figure is expected to rise dramatically, bringing challenges and opportunities for the country.
HMM Sees $200m+ Loss in Second Quarter
Editor’s Note:
Korean companies are great and they make spectacular products overall. Korean Shipping on the other hand besides being of a solid repute sometimes comes up with some spectacular bankruptcies…who doesnt recall Hanjin’s demise just a couple of years ago. Now Hyundai Merchant Marine is reported already in big trouble after having been revived by the government.
HMM recorded a net loss of $215m in the second quarter, taking the South Korean ocean carrier’s deficit to a massive $371m at the half-year stage. The restructured container line increased liftings by 17%, year on year, in Q2, to 1.15m TEU, which it attributed to its “sales expansion efforts” including the launch of its standalone Asia-North Europe loop and larger tonnage on the Asia-South America trade lane.
ZIM Announces a Significant Upgrade of its Independent India-Med Express Line (IMX)
ZIM is pleased to announce that starting September, ZIM India-Med Express Line (IMX) will have a new rotation, with significantly faster transit time, making the fastest on the trade. In order to improve our service to customers and cater for market needs, ZIM will introduce changes to IMX service, as follows: the line will operate 5 vessels, and the round-trip will be shortened to 35 days. The new rotation will commence in Colombo, Sri-Lanka, followed by Nhava-Sheva and Mundra, followed by East Mediterranean ports. Transit time to East Med ports will be reduced significantly, in some ports by a week to 10 days.
Qatar to Boost Maritime Trade with Iran
Qatar is planning to increase maritime shipping lines between with Iran, reported Iran’s official media quoting Hadi Haqshenas, deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) for Maritime Affairs.
Plants & Processing
Celupaper S.A. boosts production with a new Toscotec-supplied MODULO-PLUS in Argentina
Toscotec will supply a new MODULO-PLUS tissue line to Celupaper S.A. of the leading South American group Grupo Vual, based in Argentina. The MODULO-PLUS machine – PM5 – is scheduled for delivery in autumn 2019 and it will be installed at Papelera Nicaragua mill. Read more…
Metal-Powder Manufacturer to Expand Capacity
Tekna Plasma Systems Inc., a manufacturer of metal powder, will invest up to $128 million over five years to expand its global manufacturing output and boost its innovation capability. The project will help the Sherbrooke, Quebec-based company increase its capacity to over 1,000 tons per year and includes expanding manufacturing floor space, the purchase of production equipment and resources for product development efforts. The investment reflects Tekna’s long-term commitment to the 3D-printing market. Read more…
Steelworks
POSCO buys lithium mining rights in Argentina from Australia’s Galaxy
South Korean steelmaker POSCO has sealed a deal to buy lithium mining rights in Argentina from Galaxy Resources for $280 million, beefing up the Australian miner’s funds to dig a lithium mine on neighbouring ground. POSCO said in a statement on Monday that it would also build a lithium plant in Argentina, planning to produce 25,000 tonnes of the commodity per year for 20 years starting from 2021. Read more…
Editor’s Note:
Who doesnt want to go to Hawaii? Most of us have been there or would like to go. It is also possible to bring your car, motorcycle or even your truck there if you so wish. Watch this video from a roro carrier providing services between mainland USA and Hawaii.
Editor’s Note:
From my condo in Kota Kinabalu – had trouble with a tenant and had to ask for reinforcements.
