LATEST LOGISTICS AND FORWARDING NEWS FRANCE - Air France will service Taipei (Taiwan) 20 years after stopping flights to that destination - Brexit is likely to have negative impact on the ports of the North of France - Targeting SMEs INDIA - Growth in cargo traffic at the 12 major ports - Exports of silver jewellery went up by 18.5% from April to November 2017-3.64% growth in cargo traffic MADAGASCAR - CMA CGM has introduced a GRR on the transportation of cargo from Asia to Madagascar - China was the first import market of Madagascar during the first 11 months of 2017 - Ethiopian Airlines want to deploy freighters on the route to Madagascar
MAURITIUS - A new Cancer Centre - Rs 2 billion to be invested in the construction of a new hotel in the district of Black River - Petroleum Hub MOZAMBIQUE - The Nacala corridor rail and port project to be launched - Restructuration of national air carrier LAM in the pipeline - Dredging operations at the port of Beira REUNION ISLAND - The two-phase plan business plan of Air Austral for Air Madagascar - Air freight activities slightly on the up at Roland Garros airport - Land transportation charges will rise this year OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD -The Port of Antwerp International appointed to temporarily manage the Port of Cotonou (Benin) - China invests heavily near the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka - 50 million euros in new cargo facilities at the Airport of Liege
LATEST LOGISTICS AND FORWARDING NEWS FRANCE Air France will service Taipei (Taiwan) 20 years after stopping flights to that destination 20 years after withdrawing from the Taiwanese market due to lack of profits, Air France will schedule flights again to Taipei as from the 16 th April 2018. The French carrier will operate 3 direct flights per week from its hub of Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The flights will take off from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and land in Taipei the next day. The Boeing 777-200 will leave Taipei in the morning at 10:25 and come back at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 18:20 on the same day. Brexit is likely to have negative impact on the ports of the North of France The Brexit is likely to have a negative impact on the ports of the North of France: Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer and Dunkirk. Cargo traffic may be diverted from the British port of Dover to other British ports and from there to the larger ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam instead of these French ports especially Dunkirk. Targeting SMEs Air France-KLM Martinair Cargo has launched a new service, What Counts to target small and medium-sized companies.
INDIA Growth in cargo traffic at the 12 major ports According to latest statistics, during the period from April to November 2017, cargo traffic at the 12 major ports of India increased by 3.46% to reach 439.66 million tonnes compared to 424.96 million tonnes handled during the corresponding period the previous year. Cochin Port recorded the highest growth of 17.93%, followed by the port of Paradip (13.13%), Kolkata (12.64%), New Mangalore (7.07%) and J. Nehru (5.69%). Exports of silver jewellery went up by 18.5% from April to November 2017 From April to November 2017, exports of gems and jewellery fell by 4.8%, to reach US $ 22.43 billion due to lower demand from foreign markets. We have asked for support under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) and immediate resolution of GST (Goods and Services Tax) refund issue. Blockage of working capital due to GST is impacting exports," stated to the press an official of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council. On the other hand, exports of silver jewellery went up by 18.5% to about US $ 3 billion during the period. The main buyers were the United States (accounting for about a quarter of India s total gems and jewellery exports), Europe, Japan and China. 3.64% growth in cargo traffic The 12 major ports of India recorded a 3.64% growth in cargo traffic from April to December 2017. They handled a total of 499.41 million tonnes of cargo.
MADAGASCAR CMA CGM has introduced a GRR on the transportation of cargo from Asia to Madagascar The French shipping company CMA CGM has introduced since the 15 th January 2018, a General Rate Restoration (GRR) on all types of cargo (dry, reefer and break bulk) transported on its Mozex service from Asia including South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and Bangladesh, to the port of Tamatave (Madagascar) as well as to Mozambique (Beira, Maputo and Nacala). The GRR amounts to US $ 250 per 20 feet container. China was the first import market of Madagascar during the first 11 months of 2017 During the first 11 months of 2017, a substantial increase in the value of imports from China had been recorded. A total of 3 256 billion ariary compared to 2 092 ariary during the corresponding period in 2016. Chinese products represent 21% of the imports of Madagascar followed closely in the second position by goods from the European Union countries. Furthermore, only 8% of Madagascar s exports went to China during the first 11 months of 2017, representing a total value of 640 billion ariary. China is the third export market of Madagascar after the European Union (3 236 billion ariary) and the United States. Ethiopian Airlines want to deploy freighters on the route to Madagascar Ethiopian Airlines plan to introduce dedicated cargo flights to Madagascar to tap export opportunities especially related to the textile, vanilla and seafood markets.
MAURITIUS A new Cancer Centre The Government of Mauritius will launch a new Cancer Centre at Solferino, in the centre of the island. The existing buildings will be renovated and the project comprises the construction of a new hospital block with bunkers to accommodate two Linear Accelerators and other sophisticated equipment. Rs 1.5 billion will be invested in the project. Rs 2 billion to be invested in the construction of a new hotel in the district of Black River The New Mauritius Hotels will invest Rs 2 billion in the construction of a new hotel at Les Salines in the district of Black River. The resort will comprise 270 rooms over 3 levels including the ground floor. Swimming pools, a beach club, restaurants, a sports centre and artificial lagoons over a surface area of 1.7 acres are also planned. Furthermore, the company intends to build 60 apartments. The works may begin in May 2018 and are expected to be completed by December 2019. Petroleum Hub An oil terminal and a jetty will be set up at Albion on the West coast of Mauritius so as to develop a Petroleum Hub.
MOZAMBIQUE The Nacala corridor rail and port project to be launched The African Development Bank has taken the lead in the Nacala corridor rail and port project which will require a total investment of US $ 5 billion. The bank will provide US $ 300 million. The project involves the construction of a 912 km railway line from the Tete province in the west of Mozambique to the port of Nacala in the east of the country and also through Malawi. A deep-sea port will also be built at Nacala. The railway will be able to handle four million tons of freight a year for noncoal commodities and it will open up new markets for agricultural producers of the region. Restructuration of national air carrier LAM in the pipeline LAM, the state-owned air carrier of Mozambique, will retain the services of an advisory firm for its restructuration. This follows the recommendations of the Institute for the Management of State Holdings (IGEPE) to take corrective measures against the heavy losses and relatively poor reliability. Furthermore, the Ministry of Transport of Mozambique has opened the domestic flights to foreign carriers due to LAM s frequent flight cancellations. Dredging operations at the port of Beira The dredging operations at the port of Beira are expected to be completed by April. Ships up to 60 000 gross tonnage will be able to cast their anchor compared to the current capacity of 30 000 gross tons vessels.
REUNION ISLAND The two-phase plan business plan of Air Austral for Air Madagascar The air carrier of Reunion Island, Air Austral has a two-phase plan to turnaround Air Madagascar. The first phase to be rolled out over three years, will focus on bringing back profitability to Air Madagascar while the second phase will focus on its longterm growth through the acquisition or leasing of new planes. Under the plan, the fleet of Air Madagascar will be increased to 14 planes in 2020 and to 17 by year 2023. Air freight activities slightly on the up at Roland Garros airport At Roland Garros airport in Reunion Island, in November 2017, there had been a 25.4% rise in unloaded air freight. However, a 15.2% drop in uplifted air freight compared to the corresponding month one year ago, has been noted. Analysts have attributed this decrease to the lower volume of fruits produced. Overall, from January to November 2017, freight activities at Roland Garros airport have been on the up by 0.4% in comparison to the same period during the previous year to attain 22 900 tonnes. Imported weights grew by 4.8% while exported weights showed a 10% decrease. Land transportation charges will rise this year Land transportation charges will rise this year with the increase in tax rate on fuel since the beginning of 2018. The price of a litre of diesel has gone up from 1.05 to 1.11 euro. For ecological reasons, the price of diesel will be increased to be equal to that of gasoline by year 2025.
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD The Port of Antwerp International appointed to temporarily manage the Port of Cotonou (Benin) The consultancy subsidiary of Antwerp Port Authority, the Port of Antwerp International (PAI) has been appointed by the Council of Ministers of Benin to manage the port of Cotonou, Cotonou currently handles around 12 million tonnes per year. However, both its infrastructure and organisation are out dated. Of all ports in Northwest Europe, Antwerp has the highest percentage of direct services to West Africa with a market share of almost 50%. China invests heavily near the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka China will invest US $1 billion to erect three 60-storey buildings which will be located near Colombo, the main deep sea container port of Sri Lanka. US $1.4 billion have already been invested by China to undertake reclamation work to develop a wider Colombo International Financial City near the harbour. 50 million euros in new cargo facilities at the Airport of Liege The Airport of Liege in Belgium will invest 50 million euros in new cargo facilities in 2018. An additional 20 000 m² of cargo handling space and four new parking areas for large planes will be built.