LATEST LOGISTICS AND FORWARDING NEWS FRANCE - CMA CGM to operate a new terminal in Angola - The port of Marseilles Fos expects to handle 7% more containers in 2015 - CMA CGM and Hamburg Sud expand their cooperation INDIA - Talks in view of establishing a Free Trade Area between India and Israel - India's garment exports expected to grow by around 20% in 2015 - Trade between India and port of Hamburg on the up MADAGASCAR - Air Madagascar has signed a code-sharing agreement with Air Seychelles - About a dozen manufacturing enterprises obtain their AGOA eligibility certificate - Two new ATR 72 planes for Air Madagascar
MAURITIUS - Heavy investments in the construction of houses for the lower social classes - A fresh impetus to the manufacturing sector of Mauritius - A 7-star hotel MOZAMBIQUE - Up to 20 million Australian dollars to develop the Balama North graphite and vanadium project - CMA CGM will apply Terminal Handling Charges (THC) and Port Additional Fees - An Australian company wants to exploit graphite deposits in Cabo Delgado REUNION ISLAND - Project to launch a new aviation company in Reunion Island - 2 flights between Reunion Island and Guangzhou in China - Latest air cargo statistics released OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD - Maersk Line cuts its capacity on the route between the east coast of South America and Europe - Air freight grows for the first time in the last 4 years in the Asia-Pacific region - Maersk Line no longer takes bookings to the port of Oakland on 2 of its services
LATEST LOGISTICS AND FORWARDING NEWS FRANCE CMA CGM to operate a new terminal in Angola The French shipping group CMA CGM has signed agreements with the Multiparques Group in Angola to operate a new terminal this year and to develop logistics platforms. CMA CGM will focus on the second port of Angola, Lobito whose strategic location and rail connections, enable it to be used as an entry point in West Africa, especially to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. The shipping group currently operates 7 services to and from Angola. CMA CGM and Hamburg Sud expand their cooperation CMA CGM and the German maritime company Hamburg Sud will extend their cooperation. They already operate joint services between North Europe and the East as well as West coasts of South America. In May 2015, subject to approval from the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) of the United States, these 2 shipping lines lines will start a new pendulum service which will connect Asia, the Caribbean, the East Coast of the United States and North Europe, in partnership with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) for the transatlantic side. The port of Marseilles Fos expects to handle 7% more containers in 2015 The port of Marseilles Fos expects to handle 7% more containers this year and sustain this annual growth rate up to year 2018 to reach 1.5 million TEUs.
INDIA Talks in view of establishing a Free Trade Area between India and Israel A delegation of the Ministry of Economy of Israel visited India in February to resume talks in view of establishing a Free Trade Area (FTA) between the two countries. The first negotiations started 4 years ago while full-scale diplomatic ties had been established since 1992. According to latest statistics, annual trade between India and Israel amounted to US $ 4.39 billion and analysts believe that it will double once the FTA is signed. Both countries may explore in the near future opportunities in defence and security cooperation. India's garment exports expected to grow by around 20% in 2015 Several large buyers of textile products manufactured in India, have asked for a reduction of costs by 6-8% following a sharp drop in the price of cotton. Exports of garments from India, is expected to grow by around 20% in 2015. Virendra Uppal, the Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, said that from April to December 2014, India's garment exports kept growing at a rate of 15%. Trade between India and port of Hamburg on the up The port of Hamburg is increasingly used as a gateway to Europe for Indian products. Latest statistics show that in 2014, a record container traffic of 232 000 TEU (up by 14.9%) was recorded.
MADAGASCAR Air Madagascar has signed a code-sharing agreement with Air Seychelles Two months after resuming its flights to Madagascar, Air Seychelles has signed a code-sharing agreement with Air Madagascar. Two flights per week of Air Seychelles are scheduled on the Mahé- Antananarivo route, on board an Airbus A320, offering a capacity of more than seven tonnes of cargo in its belly hold each week. Subject to governments approvals, the deal will enable Air Seychelles to use Air Madagascar's flight code on flights between the Seychelles capital and Abu Dhabi as well as Mumbai. About a dozen manufacturing enterprises obtain their AGOA eligibility certificate In January 2015, about a dozen manufacturing enterprises of Madagascar obtained an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) eligibility certificate, enabling them to benefit duty-free access for their goods to the United States. However, the application of 3 enterprises was turned down because they did not fulfil the required criteria. The enterprises are required to adhere to social security, hygiene and environmental criteria. Two new ATR 72 planes for Air Madagascar The 2 new ATR 72 600 planes of Air Madagascar will be delivered on the 15th March and 15th April respectively to replace the two Boeing 737 for the domestic routes and regional network.
MAURITIUS Heavy investments in the construction of houses for the lower social classes The Ministry of Housing and Lands has set as target to build before the end of this year 1 500 houses for the lower social classes. Furthermore, the government plans to construct 10 000 houses over the next five years. Around Rs 10 billion will be invested in that project. Rs 366 million will be disbursed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to start the construction works of 322 housing units during the next weeks. A fresh impetus to the manufacturing sector of Mauritius The Government intends to give a fresh impetus to the manufacturing sector of Mauritius during the four next years. An Export Development Plan will be rolled out to focus on exports to Africa and provide strong support to Domestic Oriented Enterprises to look for business opportunities in Africa. In parallel, air links between Mauritius and Africa will be improved. A 7-star hotel Investors from Dubai have expressed their interest to build the first 7-star hotel of Mauritius at Riviere du Rempart.
MOZAMBIQUE Up to 20 million Australian dollars to develop the Balama North graphite and vanadium project Triton Minerals, an Australian mining company, has obtained a funding facility of up to 20 million Australian dollars from an investment company of Hong Kong. It will be used to develop the Balama North graphite and vanadium project in the north of Mozambique. Triton Minerals expects to reap huge profits as studies have indicated that the average cost of producing graphite there was estimated at 250 US dollars per tonne while its selling price will turn around 985 US dollars per tonne. Graphite is a form of carbon used in the batteries of the electronic industries. Furthermore, demand for Vanadium is high especially as an additive to strengthen steel. CMA CGM will apply Terminal Handling Charges (THC) and Port Additional Fees As from the 1st March, the shipping company CMA CGM will apply Terminal Handling Charges (THC) and Port Additional Fees on containers loaded and unloaded in Mozambique both at export and at import. For the ports of Beira, Maputo and Quelimane, the Port Additional Fees will be included in the THC. The THC for a standard container of 20 feet will vary from US $ 115 at the ports of Beira and Quelimane to US $ 185 at Maputo. An Australian company wants to exploit graphite deposits in Cabo Delgado A company belonging to Australian businessmen wants to acquire two licences to exploit the large deposits of graphite in the province of Cabo Delgado in the north of Mozambique.
REUNION ISLAND Project to launch a new aviation company in Reunion Island The founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Air Austral, Gerard Etheve told the press that he is setting up a new aviation company in Reunion Island to compete on the route between the island and France. He added that once the start-up capital ranging between 24 and 26 million euros will be raised, the new air carrier will lease two Boeing B 767-300 planes for a twice weekly service to either Paris Charles de Gaulle or Paris Orly airport via Dzaoudzi (Mayotte). Furthermore, the aviation company intends to operate from Pierrefonds airport in the South of Reunion Island. However, since that the primary runway (2 100 m) is not sufficiently long to support intercontinental flights, a technical stop will be needed in either at Cairo or Luxor airport in Egypt. 2 flights between Reunion Island and Guangzhou in China The air carrier of Reunion Island, Air Austral has entered into a codeshare agreement with Air Madagascar to operate a new route to Guangzhou, China. As from the 15 th September, an Airbus A340 of Air Madagascar from Madagascar will stopover every Tuesday and Saturday at Roland Garros International Airport in Reunion Island, before flying to China. Latest air cargo statistics released During year 2014, 1 677 tons of freight were unloaded and 1 994 tonnes were uplifted at Roland Garros airport. Air France held a market share of 38%, followed closely by Air Austral (37%).
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD Maersk Line cuts its capacity on the route between the east coast of South America and Europe Due to the steady drop in demand for sea freight on the route between the east coast of South America and Europe as well as the Mediterranean, Maersk Line has reduced its capacity by 10% to match the changing market forces. Smaller vessels between 4 500 and 6 500 TEU, are now used. Air freight grows for the first time in the last 4 years in the Asia-Pacific region The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) stated to the press that the air freight carriers of the region achieved in 2014, growth figures for the first time in the last 4 years. A rise in the demand for air cargo space was noted from the manufacturing hubs in the Asia-Pacific zone. That demand expressed in freight tonne kilometre, increased by 5.4% compared to the previous year. Andrew Herdman, the Director General of AAPA, said that for year 2015, the outlook remains broadly positive for aviation companies due to the sustained growth of the global economy and lower oil prices. Maersk Line no longer takes bookings to the port of Oakland on 2 of its services Maersk Line no longer takes bookings for containers to be transported to the port of Oakland on 2 of its services due to high congestion in this port of the West coast of the United States. Instead, the containers will be unloaded at Los Angeles or Long Beach.