LATEST LOGISTICS AND FORWARDING NEWS FRANCE - 12 cranes used simultaneously in Malaysia for vessel CMA CGM KERGUELEN - A Chinese consortium has purchased 49.9% of the shares of Toulouse-Blagnac airport - Operating losses of Air France-KLM Cargo have increased during the first quarter INDIA - An anti-dumping duty on electronic calculators from China - Daikin Airconditioning India plans to build a second manufacturing plant in India - Honda Motor plans to invest 17.75 billion Indian rupees MADAGASCAR - MOL has introduced a General Rate Restoration (GRR) - Madagascar seeks the expertise of Mauritius to set up special economic zones - Small and medium enterprises to regroup themselves in cooperatives
MAURITIUS - Air Seychelles increases the frequency of its flights to Mauritius - Air Mauritius negatively impacted by depreciation of the Euro and intensified competition - The project of eight smart cities will be launched soon MOZAMBIQUE - A boost in the use of renewable sources of energy expected - The Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations wants major changes in coastal transport - Air link between Turkey and Mozambique REUNION ISLAND - Air Austral wants to tap exploit cargo opportunities between Reunion Island and the Seychelles - Air Austral has launched a new regional service - France, a major trading partner for Reunion Island OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD - Hamburg Sud is interested in joining the Ocean Three Alliance - Coscon will increase its rates for transpacific trade - The Port of Antwerp will increase its container handling capacity
LATEST LOGISTICS AND FORWARDING NEWS FRANCE 12 cranes used simultaneously in Malaysia for vessel CMA CGM KERGUELEN The French shipping company CMA CGM will use Port Klang terminal in Malaysia as its hub in Asia for its vessel CMA CGM KERGUELEN which is 398 metres long and with a capacity of 17 722 TEU. During its first call at the Port Klang, the terminal made a special arrangement for that mothership, making use of not less than 12 cranes simultaneously. A Chinese consortium has purchased 49.9% of the shares of Toulouse-Blagnac airport A Chinese consortium comprising the Shandong Hi-Speed Group and the investment fund Friedmann Pacific Asset Management, has purchased 49.9% of the shares of Toulouse-Blagnac, one of the biggest regional airports of France. Last year, Toulouse-Blagnac handled 58 827 tonnes of air freight. Analysts believe that Chinese companies could use that airport as a hub for cargo flights in France. Operating losses of Air France-KLM Cargo have increased during the first quarter The operating losses of Air France-KLM Cargo have increased during the first quarter of 2015 to attain 63 million euros. Compared to the corresponding period last year, this represents a rise of 15 million euros. Air France-KLM Cargo points out that adverse factors are persisting namely the weak global trade and overcapacity especially from Asia to Europe.
INDIA An anti-dumping duty on electronic calculators from China According to the press, the Government of India intends to impose an antidumping duty of up to US $ 1.22 on each electronic calculator manufactured in China. The objective is to protect Indian firms following the findings of the Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) which carried out investigations that showed that calculators were exported to India by Chinese electronic companies below their normal value. The probe was initiated following a complaint by Ajanta Pvt Ltd. Daikin Airconditioning India plans to build a second manufacturing plant in India Daikin Airconditioning India, the subsidiary of the Japanese air-conditioning company Daikin Industries Ltd, plans to build a second manufacturing plant in India. Its existing unit in Neemrana at Rajasthan already produces at 85% of its annual capacity of 500 000 units. Daikin Airconditioning India wants to set up a new factory that will enable it to double its annual production. A final decision will be taken in a few months after the finalisation of talks with several provincial governments. Honda Motor plans to invest 17.75 billion Indian rupees Honda Motor plans to invest 17.75 billion Indian rupees over the next two years to increase the production capacity of its two-wheelers by 40% in India. Currently, its Indian subsidiary, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) accounts for about a quarter of its global two-wheeler sales.
MADAGASCAR MOL has introduced a General Rate Restoration (GRR) The Japanese shipping company MOL has implemented since last month, a General Rate Restoration (GRR) on all types of cargo transported from any point to the port of Tamatave in Madagascar as well as to Mozambique. According to MOL, the GRR has been introduced to sustain its level of service. The GRR amounts to US $ 150 per 20 feet container and US $ 300 per 40 feet container. Madagascar seeks the expertise of Mauritius to set up special economic zones Madagascar s Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo has made an official visit to Mauritius at the beginning of May to seek the expertise of that country in setting up special economic zones. He wants to replicate the success of the Export Processing Zone of Mauritius. However, the concept of a special economic zone is wider and may include an industrial park with ancillary services such as offices, commercial areas, houses and a logistics platform. Madagascar economic zones will have attractive tax concessions and other incentives to attract local and foreign companies. Small and medium enterprises to regroup themselves in cooperatives The Minister of Industry and for the Development of the Private Sector, Narson Rafidimanana has encouraged small and medium enterprises to regroup themselves in cooperatives so as to tap the opportunities of dutyfree and quota free access for 7 000 lines of products to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
MAURITIUS Air Seychelles increases the frequency of its flights to Mauritius Since the beginning of May, Air Seychelles has added an additional flight between Seychelles Island and Mauritius, bringing the total number of flights to four per week. Air Seychelles has obtained an Airbus A320 aircraft on lease, the second in its fleet. Air Mauritius negatively impacted by depreciation of the Euro and intensified competition The financial results of Air Mauritius for the quarter which ended on the 31 st December 2014, has triggered concern among its shareholders. During that period, the company recorded losses of 2.7 million euros as compared to profits of 8.6 million euros during the corresponding quarter last year. In addition to the depreciation of the Euro and fall in revenue due to an increase in the intensity of competition, the hedging system for the purchase of fuel has also incurred losses. According to the press, the accumulated losses of Air Mauritius may reach around approximately 20 million euros at the end of the financial year 2014-2015. The project of eight smart cities will be launched soon The Government of Mauritius will kick start the Smart Cities project. About 7 000 arpents of land around the country have already been identified. Around Rs 120 billion are expected to be invested in these eight smart cities.
MOZAMBIQUE A boost in the use of renewable sources of energy expected The use of equipment producing energy from renewable sources will be boosted in Mozambique. A grant of 740 000 US dollars will be allocated to Mozambique by the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), a body funded by the governments of Denmark, the United States and the United Kingdom. That contribution will be used to pay for international technical assistance in developing a tariff system for electricity generated by small and mediumsized renewable energy projects. The Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations wants major changes in coastal transport According to a report of the Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA), companies avoid using coastal transport due to the high cargo handling costs in Mozambican ports and red tape. They prefer to have their goods transported by road. CTA has called for a change in the legal framework and the elaboration of an action plan to transform coastal transport into a factor that will make economic growth dynamic. Air link between Turkey and Mozambique Turkish Airlines will schedule as from the end of October, three flights per week between the Turkish city Istanbul and the airport of Maputo in Mozambique. The flights will land take off from Maputo on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
REUNION ISLAND Air Austral wants to tap exploit cargo opportunities between Reunion Island and the Seychelles Jean-Marc Grazzini, Deputy Commercial Director General of Air Austral has stated to the press that freighting cargo to and from Seychelles is a project which the company is willing to venture into. The aviation company of Reunion Island could tap into the market of air freight between Seychelles to Reunion Island and vice-versa, especially perishable products such as sea food and fresh fish from Seychelles. Air Austral has launched a new regional service Air Austral extends its regional network. Since the 8 th May, it operates two direct flights per week between Pierrefonds airport in the south of the Reunion Island and the airport of the small island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean. An ATR 72-500 plane is used to service that new route on a seasonal basis, from the 8 th to the 17 th May, then, between the 10 th July and 14 th August and finally, from the 9 th to the 23 rd October 2015. France, a major trading partner for Reunion Island According to official statistics, in 2014, 39% of the exports of Reunion Island went to France, representing 123 million euros while 58% of its total imports (worth 2.7 billion euros) originated from France. Last year, more than 26 million euros of sugar, 24 million euros of spirits and more than 4 million euros of fruits had been exported to France. On the other hand, Reunion Island imported from France 217 million euros of medicine, nearly 170 million euros of cars as well as mobile phones for a total value of 70 million euros.
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD Hamburg Sud is interested in joining the Ocean Three Alliance The German sea carrier Hamburg Sud has expressed its interest in joining the Ocean Three alliance which groups CMA CGM, United Arab Shipping Co. and China Shipping. Hamburg Sud will contribute its 18 000 TEU ships especially in the trade routes between Asia and Europe. Hamburg Sud which is specialised in the transportation of cargo between the north and the south, wants to diversify its routes and reduce its exposure in the trading routes with South America where the intensity of competition has increased during the last years. Coscon will increase its rates for transpacific trade The shipping company of China, Coscon will increase as from the 1 st June, its freight tariffs on all dry and reefer cargo from the Far East and countries of the Indian Subcontinent to the United States and Canada (East bound). The General Rate Increase will be of US $ 480 per 20 feet container and US $ 600 per 40 feet container. The Port of Antwerp will increase its container handling capacity The Port of Antwerp, the second largest port in Europe, will increase its container handling capacity by investing 660 million euros. During the first three months of 2015, it has achieved a growth of 9.5% of container traffic mainly due to the decision of the 2M shipping alliance (MSC and Maersk) to use that port as its hub.