Building a more efficient, resilient and sustainable global trade is the strategic transformation driven by Rodolphe Saad?, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group. This new ambition is embodied by BETTER WAYS, the Group's new signature. Drawing upon CMA CGM's history and the core values that have supported its development for more than 40 years, the Group is launching a global communications campaign with a powerful key visual linking people, technology and the planet.
A NEW AMBITION FOR A NEW WORLD
A commitment to take action, BETTER WAYS is the promise of a renewed shipping and logistics offering that adapts constantly to customers' needs. A promise that is built around five strategic pillars:
" Further expansion in shipping powered by innovation for higher levels of security, operational efficiency and greater customer satisfaction through the introduction of more sustainable transport solutions as well as through the Group's commercial offer, including the extensive range of CMA CGM+ value-added services.
" The offering of efficient logistics solutions by building a complete and seamless range of services, from warehouse management to shipping, to overland transport and air freight, all within the CMA CGM Group's shipping entity, its logistics subsidiary, CEVA Logistics, and its new CMA CGM AIR CARGO division.
" Faster innovation and digitalization. By investing in R&D as well as in IoT, artificial intelligence and blockchain solutions, the Group aims to develop smarter and more secure service offerings, while delivering a smoother user experience for both customers and employees.
" The development of solutions that are more people- and planet-friendly to make shipping and logistics a more sustainable industry. The Group is committed to taking concrete action by adopting the best available solutions, i.e., liquefied natural gas (LNG), biomethane and biofuel to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
" The support and guidance for the Group's staff members, keeping them safe, improving their well-being and championing more inclusive approaches with tailor-made training programs provided by the CMA CGM Academy to help them develop their expertise and know-how. Through the CMA CGM Foundation, staff members are able to pass on their talents via skill-based volunteering programs and other volunteering actions around the world.
" BETTER WAYS is a game changer that embodies a mindset and a commitment for logistics and transport solutions that are more responsible and efficient while being built on strongly humane values from a family-led enterprise " commented Tanya Saad? Zeenny, Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, President of the CMA CGM Foundation.
A STRONG KEY VISUAL AS A SYMBOL OF THIS NEW AMBITION
* The BETTER WAYS signature and its key visual convey the Group's-and its staff members'- unrelenting will to always strive for the better.
* Looking to the future, responsible growth and continuous progress, this triptych of images reflects the scale and complementary nature of the Group's business activities, and its ability to provide a comprehensive, integrated service offering.
* They also recall the Group's determination to take steps to ensure its logistics activities are increasingly considerate of both people and the planet.
* With its new signature, the Group reaffirms its commitment to unlocking new ways of creating value for its customers, its partners and its 110,000 staff members around the world.
* The CMA CGM Group worked with Havas Paris and Brand image, two globally renowned communications specialists, to help create a strong and impactful image conveying its growth, ambitions and expertise.
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SITC continues to order new ships spending US$192m on 8 ships
HONG Kong-based intra-Asia shipping group SITC International has extended its newbuilding string to nearly 30 ships, after SITC Shipowning exercised options for eight more vessels at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.
In a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing on June 2, SITC said the orders for four 2,600 TEU ships and four of 1,800 TEU were options attached to orders on August 30 and December 19, 2020.
The latest newbuilds, costing a total of US$192 million, will be constructed by Yangzijiang's subsidiary yards, Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding, with deliveries scheduled from November 2022 to May 2023.
The 2,600 TEU ships will cost $27 million each, and the 1,800 TEU vessels $21 million each.
SITC Shipowning exercised the options less than a week after splashing out on $153.6 million on firm orders for eight 1,023 TEU feeder ships at Dae Sun Shipbuilding & Engineering in South Korea on May 27. This contract comes with options for another two. With earlier orders at Yangzijiang, the SITC group now has 28 newbuildings under construction.
SITC Container Lines is now the 16th-largest liner operator, with a total combined capacity of 142,875 TEU, including 23 chartered vessels.
The unprecedented upswing in container freight rates across all routes is encouraging liner operators and tonnage providers to invest in newbuildings. Operators, particularly, believe that having more owned ships will mitigate the impact of rising charter costs, reports London's The Loadstar.
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CULines orders two 2,400-TEUers from Yangzijiang yards
SHENZHEN's China United Lines (CULines) has signed a shipbuilding contract with Yangzijiang Shipbuilding for the construction of two 2,400-TEU vessels, reports Seatrade Maritime News.
The vessels will have pre-installed digitised and intelligent ship management systems for remote monitoring and management of vessel.
The 2,400-TEUers are due for delivery in 2023 and will be deployed on intra-Asia services. It is the second newbuilding orders placed by CULines this year following four 1,900-TEUers it ordered from CSSC Huangpu Wenchong shipyard.
This year marks CULines foray into Asia-Europe trade, marking its move into the long-haul trades.
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China and US agree to push forward trade
CHINESE and US commerce ministers have agreed to push forward trade and investment links during their first call under the Biden administration, reports Bloomberg News.
The two nations are slowly resuming contact after the January shift of administration in the US. Some parts of US policy are becoming clearer, but it's still not publicly clear.
Commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng declared the two sides have agreed to pragmatically solve some issues for producers and consumers while promoting stable economic and trade ties.
However, US statements on the relationship with China differ greatly with Representative Katherine Tai declaring the relationship as being unhealthy and damaging.
Meanwhile, China opposes any official contact between the US and Taiwan, regarding it as part of its territory, furthermore, any discussions will unavoidably be linked with US and China relations and could increase the tensions between the two.
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China's five-year plan: Trade policy to focus on job creation
CHINA will promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade, and consolidate the stability of the supply and industrial chains to ensure jobs for nearly 200 million people during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), reports the official China Daily.
The Ministry of Commerce's Foreign Trade Situation Report of China said the domestic market would be the "mainstay of the economy, while domestic and international markets support each other", said the report.
As a five-year plan, the document appears to be more a review of Chinese accomplishments than a forecast of what to expect in the future.
"While expanding domestic demand and ensuring the smooth flow of the internal circulation, the domestic cycle of production, distribution and consumption, China will continue to boost both exports and imports, as well as attract foreign direct investment," said researcher Zhang Yongjun at the China Centre for International Economic Exchange.
Economic cooperation with countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative has continued to deepen trade and its proportion in China's total foreign trade has grown from 25.1 per cent in 2015 to 29.1 per cent in 2020.
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Iran's port capacity up nearly 40pc in 7 years, say ports authorities
IRAN is pressing ahead with plans and projects to increase its port capacity to 280 million tonnes a year, reports Tehran's official Press TV.
Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation (PMO) says cargo handling capacity at ports south and north of the country rose by nearly 40 per cent in seven years to reach a total of 250 million tonnes in the year to late March.
PMO figures covered in a recent report by the official IRNA news agency showed that Iran's ports capacity would reach 280 million tonnes per year with the completion of a handful projects this year.
The report said total port handling capacity in Iran was around 180 million tonnes in the summer of 2013 when the current administrative government took office for a first four-year term.
It said container capacity at ports will have doubled by mid-summer this year compared to eight years ago to reach a total of 8.5 million TEU.
It said passenger handling at ports will have reached a target of 25 million per year this year, up from 14 million in August 2013.
Iran's customs office says exports surged by 46 per cent in value terms in the two months to May 15.
The expansion of capacity in Iranian ports comes despite massive restrictions facing the country in the past three years because of US sanctions, said the Press TV report.
Shipping and trade involving Iranian ports and maritime entities have frequently been targeted by the sanctions as Washington has sought to choke off the country's export revenues and make it harder for the government to access supplies of basic goods, said the report.
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UN's International Maritime Organisation to ban heavy fuel in Arctic
THE UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) adopted a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters, Reuters reports.
Antarctic waters are protected by stringent regulations, including a ban on heavy oil fuel that was adopted in 2011, even though no cargo moves through the turbulent southern waters. For the Arctic, the rules have been looser.
But environmental lobbies said Arctic regulations contain loopholes which will allow many vessels to keep sailing without enough regulatory control.
A complete ban would only come into effect in mid-2029, which campaigners of the Clean Arctic Alliance said would amount to "endorsing continued Arctic pollution."
Standard bunker produces higher emissions, including sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxides and black carbon as well as risk serious oil spills with greater impact on Arctic ecosystems.
"Black carbon in the Arctic was to be discussed at a recent meeting, but has been deferred to MEPC 77, more time lost, more damage done," said Mellisa Maktuayaq Johnson, of Pacific Environment eco lobby.
"None of the actions set forth by the IMO will provide any relief to the Arctic this decade, and without help this decade, the Arctic may be lost," she said.
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Hactl opens dedicated aero engine handling centre
HONG Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has opened a dedicated Aero Engine Handling Centre (AEHC) in Hong Kong.
The centre is one of two locations in Asia that has certified repair, modification and overhaul facilities for Rolls-Royce Trent engines, which are used in Airbus A330, A340, A350 and A380 aircraft, as well as the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner, reports London's Air Cargo News.
Hactl currently handles around two aero engines each day. It said its new facility "complements its existing ability to process aircraft engines", which often weigh more than 8 tonnes and can be worth more than US$20 million.
The company has installed an outsize weigh-scale to facilitate the double-checking of shipment weights. In addition, it has drawn up enhanced aero engine handling procedures, including the imposition of a 5kph towing speed limit.
Hactl said it's training staff to handle the specialised shipments, and this training will result in a dedicated aero engine handling team.
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EU and US end Airbus-Boeing trade dispute after 17 years
THE EU and US agreed to end a 17-year dispute over aircraft subsidies, lifting the threat of billions of dollars in punitive tariffs on their economies in a boost to transatlantic relations, reports UK's Financial Times.
Two days of intensive negotiations in Brussels led to a draft deal on how to handle subsidies for Airbus and Boeing, with the breakthrough finalised last week at US president Joe Biden's first EU-US summit meeting in Brussels.
"With this agreement, we are grounding the Airbus-Boeing dispute," said EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. "We now have time and space to find a lasting solution, while saving billions of euros in duties for importers on both sides of the Atlantic."
The deal takes the form of a five-year accord to suspend punitive tariffs linked to the original disagreement. Coupled with that is the creation of a minister-level working group to discuss subsidy limits and overcome any issues that may arise between the two sides.
The intention is that disagreement never re-emerges, including for new aircraft models. The deal commits the EU and US to making sure R&D funding to aircraft makers will not "harm the other side". The two sides also pledged to work together in "addressing non-market practices of third parties" - something officials said was a nod to concerns regarding China.
"Both sides agree that it is wiser to put our disputes to rest and see how we [can] actually co-operate in this area, and how we work on ensuring a global level-playing field," Mr Dombrovskis told the Financial Times.
The EU trade commissioner said he was "confident that at the end of the day we will be able to put this dispute to rest completely". He added: "It is already a very big step in that direction."
The deal was confirmed after being reviewed by Airbus's three host countries in the EU - Germany, France and Spain. The French government said in a statement: "We can now focus on putting these disagreements behind us, and on defining the conditions of fair competition at the global level for state support to the aeronautic sector."
The breakthrough lifts a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the airline sector and removes the threat that US$11.5 billion of EU and US consumer goods could again be hit with punitive tariffs.
Those duties - on products ranging from French wine to US sugarcane molasses - were suspended after the EU and US agreed in March to lift them for four months and start negotiations on a solution.
Airbus welcomed the agreement, saying it would provide "the basis to create a level-playing field". The company added that the deal "will also avoid lose-lose tariffs that are only adding to the many challenges that our industry faces".
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Jas Worldwide appoints Dina Bunn as vice president
ATLANTA-BASED forwarder Jas Worldwide has appointed Dina Bunn as vice president of customer experience, pharma, and healthcare, reports London's Air Cargo News.
Ms Bunn has over 30 years of experience in the air cargo and freight forwarding sectors and has knowledge in finance, quality management, customer service, and IT service delivery. She is also a certified International Air Transport Association (IATA) instructor and quality auditor.
Ms Bunn previously led the development of a cold chain logistics platform and managed a new temperature control service.
"We are happy to welcome Bunn to Jas pharma and healthcare," said Jas Worldwide vice president David Bang.
"Her digitally-driven and [people-focused] leadership to connect our people's expertise and processes to customer experience excellence will empower Jas people in key markets servicing pharma and healthcare customers with strong knowledge, greater transparency, and data intelligence," said Mr Bang. |
