17TH WCA FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2015

For the 17^th consecutive year, WCA will once again host the world’s most dynamic event for independent logistics companies. Acknowledged globally as the most important conference of its kind, independent freight forwarders from the world’s premier global network will come together for face-to-face meetings with their peers from around the world.
Thanks to the unprecedented opportunities to build new relationships and strengthen existing ties, the conference is firmly established as the most productive business-generating platform of the year. The event has grown every year without exception and the 2015 conference will offer even greater avenues for you to develop new partnerships and secure more business.
The 17^th WCA First Annual Conference will be held from 29 Jan - 1 Feb and acts as the launch event for the prestigious WCA Conference Week, which runs from 2-5 Feb and integrates all WCA networks into the world’s largest logistics meeting.
WCA Conference Week is a must for all members of WCA – with millions of dollars of new business generated from One-on-One Meetings with fellow members, potential partners and existing colleagues, as well as from the extensive social networking events.
Members of WCA make up the world’s most powerful grouping of independent freight forwarders with 5565 member offices in more than 762 cities and ports – more logistics power than all other logistics networks combined.

Source : www.wcaworld.com

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Ten-month cargo volumes of Neva-Metal grow 10% to 2,6 million tonnes

A Severstal stevedoring unit, St. Petersburg based terminal operator Neva-Metal CJSC in January-October 2014 handled about 2,6 million tonnes of cargo, which represents a 10% growth on the ten-month period of 2013, the terminal operator said.

In the reporting period container traffic at Neva-Metal terminal totaled some75,000 TEUs.

Neva-Metal CJSC, part of Severstal's transport division, operates at Third cargo area in Sea Port of Saint-Petersburg. The company started in 1995. The terminal operator specializes in handling / storage of containerized and general cargoes delivered multimodally to the terminal (by sea-going vessels, rail cars and trucks).

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Cargo traffic at Russian seaports in Jan-Oct 2014 grows 6% to 518.5 million tonnes

Handling of exports, imports and transit cargo at Russian seaports in January-October 2014 increased by 6% compared with the same period last year to 518,5 million tonnes, the Association of Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) of Russia said.

The ASOP statistics shows that dry cargo amounted to 239.9 million tonnes (+ 13.3%), including: coal - 97.2 million tonnes (+ 14.7%), containerized cargo - 39 1 million tonnes (+ 5.8%), grain - 25.5 million tonnes (a 1.8 times surge), ferrous metals - 19.4 million tonnes (+ 6%), mineral fertilizers - 12.4 million tonnes ( + 16.5%), ferry traffic - 6.8 million tonnes (+ 24.5%), timber - 4 million tonnes (+ 7.2%) and scrap metal - 3.9 million tonnes (+33.3 %). There was a decline in volumes of ore - to 5.3 million tonnes (-14.6%) and of non-ferrous metals - to 2.7 million tonnes (-15.7%).

The ten-month volume of liquid bulk edged up 0.5% to 278.6 million tonnes, including crude oil - 158.5 million tonnes (-8.4%), oil products - 107 million tonnes (+ 15.1%) and liquefied natural gas - 10.1 million tonnes (+12.2 %).

Overall, in the reporting period shipment of exports at the country's seaports totaled 411.9 million tonnes, which represents a 7.8% gain from Jan-Oct. 2013, while imports segment saw a 5.2% decline to 36.5 million tonnes. Transit cargoes increased by 2.3% to 39.7 million tonnes, short sea traffic volume rose 2.1% and totaled 30.4 million tonnes.

The ports of the Arctic Basin handled 29.9 million tonnes of cargo, which is a 22.8% drop on last year's figure. The volume of dry cargo increased to 21.7 million tonnes (+ 4.8%), of liquid bulk – plummeted by more than twofold to 8.2 million tonnes. Cargo throughput of the port of Murmansk shrank by 27.1% to 18.8 million tonnes, including JSC Murmansk Commercial Sea Port - 13.8 million tonnes (-4.1%). Port of Arkhangelsk's cargo volume fell by 10.5% to 3.4 million tonnes. The port Varandey demonstrated strong performance at 4.9 million tonnes (+ 9.5%).

Cargo throughput at the terminals of the Baltic Sea ports increased to 188 million tonnes (+ 4.6%), including dry cargo segment - 74.6 million tonnes or + 9.6%, liquid bulk - 113.4 million tonnes (+ 1.6%).

The port of Ust-Luga handled 62.8 million tonnes, which represents a 21.2% growth year-on-year, Big Port St.Petersburg - 51.3 million tonnes (+ 6.5%), Port of Visotsk - 14.9 million tonnes (+ 10.4%), Port of Kaliningrad - 11.6 million tonnes (+ 2.5%), Port of Vyborg - 1.4 million tonnes (+ 17.2%). Exports / imports volume at the Port of Primorsk shrank by 14.3% to 46 million tonnes.

Freight traffic at the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin totaled 158.5 million tonnes, which is 10.2% more than a year earlier. Dry cargo segment increased by 17.6% to 59.8 million tonnes, liquid bulk cargo totaled 98.7 million tonnes (+ 6.2%). The port of Novorossiysk terminals moved 101.7 million tonnes of cargo (+ 8.6%), Tuapse port operators handled 18.4 million tonnes (+ 27.9%), of the Port of Taman - 8.5 million tonnes (+ 19.1%), Port Kavkaz - 8.4 million tonnes (+ 28.1%), Port of Azov - 5.3 million tonnes (+ 18.2%), Port of Yeysk - 3.3 million tonnes (+ 7.2%) and Temryuk port transshipped up to 1.7 million tonnes (+ 3.7%).

In the ten-month period the Caspian sea ports loaded / offloaded 6.6 million tonnes (-0.7%), including dry cargo - 2.8 million tonnes (+ 9.9%), liquid bulk - 3 7 million tonnes (-7.5%). Throughput of the port of Makhachkala decreased by 3.4%, of Olya port - by 8.1%, while the Port of Astrakhan demonstrated a 5.9% growth.

The Far East Basin ports' cargo volumes in January-October amounted to 135.5 million tonnes (+ 12.7%). Dry bulk segment rose 16.4% to 81.0 million tonnes, liquid bulk cargo – by 7.8% to 54.5 million tonnes.

Vostochny Port cargo volume jumped by 20.4% to 48.5 million tonnes, Port Vanino reported a 7.2% gain to 21.2 million tonnes, Port of Nakhodka throughput increased by 14.8% to 17.6 million tonnes, port of Prigorodnoye moved 13.3 million tonnes (+ 0.5%), handling of imports/exports at the Port of Vladivostok rose to 12.9 million tonnes (+ 6.8%), terminals of De Kastri handled 6.5 million tonnes of cargo (+ 14.9%) and Port Posiet - 5.7 million tonnes (+ 22.3%).

Association of Commercial Sea Ports (ASOP) was founded in 1987. Currently ASOP unites more than 50 Russian organizations and enterprises of maritime transport. The Association includes commercial sea ports, forwarding and agency companies, research institutes and maritime transport schools. The outcome data of the Russian port complex is based on statistical reports, covering all stevedoring companies operating in the country.  Complete statistics is presented in the quarterly report of ASOP "Cargo traffic at the ports of Russia, CIS and Baltic countries." 

Source:http://en.portnews.ru/news/190226/

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Apple’s iPhone 6 boosts Asia-Pacific cargo numbers

SHIPMENTS of the iPhone 6 helped boost air-cargo figures in the Asia-Pacific in September, ­resulting in regional growth beating the global average.

But aviation officials warn the improvement in global business confidence has stagnated and this could hit air cargo.

Asia-Pacific carriers emerged from a first-quarter slowdown to post a 5.7 per cent increase in cargo traffic compared to a global average of 5.2 per cent.

The International Air Transport Association said the region was benefiting from a rebound in trade activity that included ­increased air-freight shipments from China. Capacity rose 5.6 per cent, leaving load factors relatively flat. The 5.2 per cent rise in global freight tonne kilometres was 0.8 percentage points ahead of the 4.4 per cent average growth in demand for the year so far.

“Although the overall growth rate continues the positive trend of recent months, regional variations are significant,” IATA said.

“Airlines in Asia-Pacific, North America, Middle East and Africa all posted strong growth figures (between 5 per cent and 17 per cent above the previous year’s levels).

“European airlines, however, saw a decline of 1.6 per cent compared to September 2013 and Latin American airlines reported little difference from 2013 with growth of just 0.3 per cent.”

IATA director general Tony Tyler said the European decline was “a worrying trend” reflecting general uncertainty in the European economy amplified by sanctions against Russia.

“Overall, improvements in ­global business confidence have stagnated, which could mean a bumpy road ahead,” Mr Tyler said.

The IATA director was more upbeat about global passenger growth, which rose 5.3 per cent in September as load factors inched ahead to 80.3 per cent.

Asia-Pacific airlines were up 4.8 per cent on a year ago.

This was a weaker rise than August, but IATA said the trend was positive and reflected better demand conditions in the region, including stronger trade activity. European growth slowed to 3.9 per cent, but was hit by a 14-day Air France strike and weakness in the eurozone economy.

Load factors on European carriers hit 84.7 per cent, the highest for any region and a 1 percentage point rise on last year. North America recorded the second lowest demand rise of 2.1 per cent while Middle East carriers were the highest at 15.8 per cent.

Africa brought up the rear with growth of just 1.8 per cent compared to last year, down significantly on the August year-on-year growth of 7 per cent.

IATA cautioned this could not be necessarily interpreted as a result of the Ebola epidemic, due to the region’s volatility.

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Canada Aims To Allow Shippers To Self-Screen Air Cargo

Transport Canada is proposing to allow shippers to screen their cargo before it reaches an airport, rather than solely relying on carriers to do so, in order to bridge security gaps and prevent terrorist attacks.

The Canadian government said relying on carriers to screen all cargo for explosive devices would be “slow and impractical,” resulting in bottlenecks, slowdowns and additional costs. This new initiative would bring up the standard of air cargo screening and save C$202 million in the next decade, according to Transport Canada.

The government agency said the proposed amendments to the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations 2012 outline a voluntary program that allows shippers to become “known consignors.” To qualify, a shipper must be a registered Canadian business; successfully pass a Transport Canada security assessment; provide Transport Canada with a cargo security plan that outlines their facility, personnel and cargo security procedures; and successfully pass an on-site compliance assessment.

Transport Canada said the initiative was prompted by threats like the October 2010 incidence in which explosive devices were found in air cargo headed to the U.S. from Yemen. Those threat spurred the U.S. to create Air Cargo Advanced Screening Initiative, which is much like the one Ottawa is seeking.

About half of all air cargo in Canada is carried on passenger flights, totaling more than 400 million kilograms annually, The Canadian Press reported.

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Five-year Forecast Shows Improved Outlook for Air Cargo

Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airline Industry Forecast 2014-2018 shows that international freight volumes are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% over the next five years. Emerging economies, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, will be the fastest-growing markets.

International Freight Developments:

• The Middle East is forecast to be the fastest growing region over the forecast period with a CAGR of 4.7%.
• The second-fastest growing market, Africa, will have a CAGR of 4.4%. Asia-Pacific and Latin America, both with a CAGR of 3.8%, will be the joint third-fastest growing markets.
• The mature markets of Europe and North America will grow at 3.0% CAGR and 2.8% CAGR, respectively.
• By 2018, the ten largest international freight markets will be the United States (10,054,000 tonnes), China (5,639,000), the UAE (4,974,000), Germany (4,763,000), Hong Kong (4,648,000), Republic of Korea (3,487,000), Japan (3,480,000), the United Kingdom (2,808,000), Chinese Taipei (2,350,000) and India (2,223,000).
• Iran is expected to be the fastest growing country (of nations with more than 100,000 tonnes of cargo per year) for air freight volumes over the forecasting horizon with a CAGR of 7.0% per annum. However, it is growing from a low base so it will add just 44,000 tonnes of freight by 2018 for a total of 156,000 tonnes.
• The second fastest-growing market, India, will experience a CAGR of 6.8% to add 622,000 extra tonnes. Bangladesh (339,000 total freight tonnes), Ethiopia (319,000) and Nigeria (276,000) make up the remainder of the top five.
• Another notable growth country will be Qatar. With a CAGR of 5.7% it will be the sixth-fastest growing and it will see 361,000 additional tonnes to take its total freight tonnes to 1,484,000.

Source : http://www.wcainterglobal.com/eng/news.asp?id=961

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Air Cargo World - IATA shows robust growth in August air cargo FTKs

Global air freight markets showed continued robust growth in air cargo volumes in August, according to the latest data from The International Air Transport Association (IATA). Measured by freight-tonne-kilometers (FTKs), volumes rose 5.1% in August 2014, compared to August 2013, while capacity grew at a slower pace of 3.4% from the previous year. This is the second consecutive strong month for cargo volumes, following the 6.1% year-on-year rise recorded in July.
“The outlook for air cargo is clearly getting better. However, there are some limiting factors on the extent of potential gains. Demand for air cargo is growing more slowly than global economic activity,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO. “Businesses are reported to have more confidence in the future, but the list of political and economic risks continues to moderate how that confidence translates into actual activity.”
Carriers in all regions reported an expansion in volumes. African airlines led the pack with the strongest growth of air cargo demand – 9.2% year-on-year – with capacity growth of 4.2%. Although this is the second consecutive month of strong growth, the volatility of African data, coupled with the slowdown in key African economies such as South Africa, IATA said it is too soon to understand the extent to which this represents a real and sustainable acceleration.
Middle Eastern carriers enjoyed cargo growth of 7.8%, although the pace was a little below the year-to-date average of 9.6%. The Middle East continues to expand strongly on its growing links to developing markets, as well as diversifying into important commodities such as perishables. Capacity was up 6.0%.
Asia Pacific carriers grew 6.3% and capacity expanded by 4.4%, continuing the acceleration of recent months. Emerging Asia trade volumes have expanded volumes solidly in June and July. A notable rise in Chinese export orders bodes well for future demand growth, IATA said.
North American carriers increased air freight volumes by a solid 5.5% compared to a year ago. A rebound in business activity following the weakness in the first quarter and positive underlying economic growth trends should support stronger growth in the coming months, IATA said. Capacity, however, fell slightly, by 0.4%.
European airlines grew by just 1.4%, while capacity expanded by 4.8%. Economic activity within the Eurozone continues to deteriorate, IATA noted, although the latest data does show a moderate pick-up in imports and exports. EU sanctions as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis also continue to affect demand, the group added.
Latin American airlines saw air cargo grow by a sluggish 1.1%, compared to August 2013, while capacity rose sharply to 7.6%. The weakness in Latin American freight volumes reflects declines in regional trade activity and the anemic performance of the Brazilian economy, IATA concluded.

Source : http://www.wcainterglobal.com/eng/news.asp?id=951

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11th Annual Sino International Freight Forwarders Conference (4-7 November 2014)

The Sino-International Freight Forwarders Conference celebrates its 11th anniversary, and the 2014 event opens up even greater opportunities for delegates as it moves to Guangzhou — the most important manufacturing city in southern China and situated at the heart of the Pearl River Delta.

Open to all independent freight forwarders from around the globe, as well as an impressive range of logistics vendors and industry-related companies, the Sino-International Conference is the largest and most influential fully-open networking event in the world.

Co-organised by China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA) and WCA, the conference is scheduled to attract over 1,000 freight forwarders, all dedicated to creating new mutually beneficial partnerships and securing millions of dollars of new business.

Located at the luxurious 5-star Shangri-La Hotel, strategically located at the center of Guangzhou's new business and convention district, delegates can take advantage of the wide range of hotel options to suit all budgets and enjoy the many restaurants and bars overlooking the famous Pearl River.

The Sino Conference has time and again proved to be the most cost-efficient and beneficial event in the logistics industry. Face-to-face meetings are most productive way for independent forwarders to expand into new markets form vital new partnerships .

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logitrans 2014 - new running time (November 19–21, 2014)

For the first time ever, the largest exhibition for transport and logistics in Turkey will open its gates from Wednesday through Friday this year. Gerhard Gerritzen, Deputy Managing Director of Messe München, explains the event's new timing: "At the request of several exhibitors and visitors, the show now begins on Wednesday instead of Thursday, and so it ends before the weekend. The move will also emphasize the event's character as a trade show more clearly." The 8th logitrans—the International Transport Logistics Exhibition—takes place at the Expo Center ifm in Istanbul from November 19–21, 2014.

The first day of the exhibition, Wednesday, also has new opening hours from 14:00 to 20:00. As in the past, the exhibition will be open from 10:00 to 18:00 on Thursday and Friday. It will present a wide range of products and services along the entire value chain for logistics, telematics and transport.

Other new developments include countries pavilions from Luxemburg, which is being organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs there, and from the Czech Republic, which is being organized by Czech Trade. There will also be joint exhibits from Germany and Austria, both of which have exhibited here in previous years.

Source : http://www.logitrans.com.tr/english/

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Freight upswing for Hong Kong Airport

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continued to see upswings in freight in August. Cargo throughput grew by 8.8 percent to 366,000 tonnes. Flight movements had a 4 percent increase to 33,700, achieving a new monthly high for the second month in a row. 

The growth in cargo throughput was driven mainly by transshipments, which were up 22 percent from a year ago. During the month, cargo throughput to/from Southeast Asia and Mainland China improved most significantly compared to other key regions. 

“It is encouraging to see that HKIA has once again achieved new traffic records this month. We anticipate air traffic at HKIA to continue its growth trend during the remainder of the year in view of the upcoming travel peaks of the National Day golden week and Christmas,” C K Ng, acting CEO of Airport Authority Hong Kong, said. 

Over the first eight months of this year, HKIA handled 2.8 million tonnes of cargo and 258,105 flight movements, registering respective growth of 6.9 percent and 5.2 percent compared to the same period last year. On a 12-month rolling basis, cargo volume increased by 5.7 percent to 4.3 million tonnes. 

Flight movements recorded 5.6 percent year-over-year growth to 384,935. - 

Source: http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-World-News/2014/09/freight-upswing-hong-kong-airport/6766#sthash.qojEp06Q.dpuf

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FRENCH GIANT'S ANTIDOTE TO 2M ALLIANCE

French container-shipping giant CMA CGM has formed an alliance with China Shipping Container Lines and Middle East's United Arab Shipping Co to share vessels on some of the world's busiest trade routes.

The new alliance, called Ocean Three, is expected to deploy about 150 ships that would move roughly 20 percent of all cargo between Asia and Europe and 13 percent and seven percent across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, respectively, people involved in the deal said, reported The Wall Street Journal.

The move comes after larger rivals Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) sealed a 10-year tie-up in July that is expected to save them billions of dollars in operating costs.

CMA CGM said the Ocean Three vessels would call "in all the biggest Asian, European and North American ports, using transhipment hubs common to the three partners."

CSCL said in a separate written statement that the agreement would be valid for two years after the start of operations and would be automatically extended if the parties involved have no objections.

Maersk Line, a unit of Danish conglomerate A P  Moller-Maersk, and Switzerland-based MSC are the world's two biggest container-shipping companies in terms of capacity. They announced their so-called 2M alliance in July.

Chinese regulators earlier rejected a wider tie-up called the P3 alliance, which would have also included CMA CGM, over concerns that the combined strength of its proposed members would threaten Chinese container carriers.

"Ocean Three is an antidote to 2M," said Jonathan Roach, a container analyst with London-based Braemar ACM Shipbroking. "It's in line with staying competitive with the 2M and it's a good deal, because they have invested in some of the biggest ships in the business and also brought a Chinese company into the fold."

Container shipping, which carries about 95 percent of the world's manufactured goods, has suffered for the past decade from overcapacity that has led to falling freight rates, which major operators have described as unsustainable. A plethora of smaller shipping companies regularly undercut freight rates from Asia to Europe and across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, hoping to stay in business until the industry recovers.

The 2M alliance would control a 35 percent market share in the Asia-to-Europe trade loop and 15 percent and 37 percent of the cargo moved across the transpacific and transatlantic routes, respectively. The 2M fleet would include Maersk's 20 Triple E vessels, the biggest and most efficient ships in the business, able to carry in excess of 18,000 containers each.

People familiar with the matter said MSC will also likely charter on long-term leases five Triple Es from Scorpio Group, based in New York and Monaco, and China's Bank of Communications Co.

UASC and CSCL have a combined 11 Triple Es on order. These vessels steam more slowly than most other ships to save fuel, slashing operational costs by 20 percent on each container shipped, compared with the average cost of existing vessels with less fuel-efficient engines.

Both alliances need clearance from US regulators. William Doyle, a commissioner for the US Federal Maritime Commission, said in an interview last week that he would consult with his Chinese counterparts at a meeting in November before the commission reaches a decision on the 2M alliance. The Ocean Three partners haven't yet filed with the commission.

The alliances are expected to gradually push smaller competitors out of the benchmark Asia-to-Europe route because their smaller and less fuel-efficient vessels won't be able to compete. This is expected to bring some stability in freight rates as supply, which is currently 15 percent above demand, will be more tightly regulated.

A P Moller-Maersk chief executive Nils Andersen said in a recent interview that overcapacity would take at least four years to be absorbed.

Source: http://www.cargonewsasia.com/en/news/detail?id=34226

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Air Freight Volumes Show Solid Gains

 
Air freight volumes continue to show solid gains on a year ago, supported by economic improvements in some regions, says IATA in its latest quarterly cargo chartbook.
But high jet fuel prices and overall weakness in yields have kept cargo financial performance from improving so far this year, adds IATA.
“Emerging Asia trade volumes have rebounded after weakness in Q1 and consumers in the US are more optimistic. These developments have supported growth in demand for airfreighted commodities like semi-conductors,” says the report.
It continues: “However, in Europe consumer confidence and trade activity have weakened due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Business confidence continues to point to expansion, but rates of improvements are still weaker than 2013 year-end.”
And although jet fuel prices have eased slightly, they remain high at about $120/bb, the chartbook, adds: “On the positive side, although yields remain weak, overall they appear to be stabilizing and are up slightly on a year ago.
“This could help reduce downward pressure on cargo financial performance in months ahead. Consistent with more supportive demand conditions in some regions, cargo heads surveyed in July expect growth in traffic and yields to pick-up during the year ahead.”

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/air-freight-volumes-show-solid-gains.html

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SriLankan Cargo moving towards the future with the adoption of e-air waybill system

Ushering a new era in Sri Lanka's airfreight industry, the national carrier's cargo arm, SriLankan Cargo signed e-AWB (air waybills) agreements with four of its top customers, September 10.
At a time when the industry is increasingly adopting sustainable and cost-effective practices to enhance operational efficiency, International Air Transport Association (IATA) views this as the first step towards a paper-free air cargo, involving fewer stakeholders.
The air waybill is the most important transportation document in the cargo operations, which contains the details of the shipper, consignee, airport of origin/destination, number of pieces, weight and the nature of goods.
Currently, the cargo industry relies heavily on paper documentation, which results in increasing freight costs and lengthening processing and transportation time. A freight shipment requires over 30 different paper documents and the paper air way-billing system requires that each shipment carries one such document whereas under the E-AWB system, an electronic contract between SriLankan Cargo and the freight forwarding customer replaces paper documentation.
The new system allows the airlines and freight forwarders to sign a single standard agreement once with IATA to enter into e-AWB agreements with all parties, without having to sign numerous bilateral agreements.
Initiated by the IATA, as a progressive solution, E-AWB avoids repeating data keying and reduces cargo delays due to missing or illegible paper AWBs. It also allows one to detect errors prior to the submission of physical freight, access Real Time AWB information and track status of the shipments.
Absence of paper usage eliminates the cost of purchasing and printing of paper, space for storage and archiving and noticeably reduces the waiting time for processing papers. In terms of data safety, E-AWB has been proven the more reliable option as the automated system facilitates error detection and cuts down the risk of losing documents.


Source :  www.colombopage.com/archive_14B/Sep13_1410594198CH.php

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Lufthansa Cargo strengthens its presence in West Africa

LUFTHANSA CARGO is integrating Lagos, Nigeria, into its network by launching twice-weekly MD-11 freighter flights from September, writes Thelma Etim, deputy editor.

The new services, which will take off from Frankfurt for the Nigerian city every Monday and Thursday, will also fly on to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The return leg will include a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya. “Another two weekly flights from Frankfurt to Johannesburg will also stop in Nairobi on the southbound leg,” says a company statement.

A total of 170 tonnes of capacity will be available to Africa customers. Lagos is an important destination for the oil and gas industry in particular. Urgently required spare parts and equipment for oil production facilities can now be transported even faster to Nigeria, and with greater flexibility, it adds.

“Adding Lagos to our freighter network considerably strengthens our involvement in West Africa”, emphasises Carsten Wirths, vice-president Europe and Africa at Lufthansa Cargo.

In Nigeria, the carrier also offers additional cargo capacity on board its A330 passenger flights to Port Harcourt and Abuja.

Lufthansa Cargo’s African network also serves Accra (Ghana), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) and Luanda (Angola).

Source: http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/lufthansa-cargo-strengthens-its-presence-in-west-africa.html

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Russian Cargo Ship Makes Fast Delivery to Space Station

A robotic Russian spacecraft filled with supplies for the six crew members on the International Space Station made an express delivery to the orbiting outpost on Wednesday.

The Progress 56 craft was launched atop a Russian-built Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:44 p.m. ET (3:44 a.m. local time Thursday). It hooked up with the space station's Pirs docking compartment just after 11:30 p.m. ET.

The Progress was loaded with about 5,700 pounds (2,587 kilograms) of food, water, propellant and other supplies for the station's Expedition 40 crew.

Historically, Progress ships have taken about two days to arrive at the station. Since 2012, however, the Russian crafts have been flying to the science laboratory in six hours or less. Astronauts and cosmonauts have also started taking these quick, four-orbit flights aboard the Soyuz capsules that deliver new crew members to the station.

A different Progress craft, dubbed Progress 55, left the space station on Monday to make room for the new cargo ship. Progress 55 is now flying a safe distance away from the orbiting outpost. It will perform a series of engineering tests before it intentionally burns up over the Pacific Ocean on July 31, according to NASA.

The space station currently plays host to a crew of six. NASA astronauts Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and Russian cosmonauts Max Suraev, Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev make up the Expedition 40 crew.

— Miriam Kramer, Space.com

Source : http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/russian-cargo-ship-makes-quick-delivery-space-station-n163516

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