Archives: February 2009 cargo news
The News stories below are cargo / freight related stories which made the headlines in February 2009 (other archived months are shown at the bottom of the page).
For all the latest Cargo News, click on the link on the left-hand side menu. ukimports.org
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26/02/09 - Cannabis concealed in 'generator'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Cannabis with an estimated street value of £1m has been found in a lorry which arrived at a Kent port on a ferry from Ostend, in Belgium.
Customs officers in Ramsgate seized about 500kg (79 stones) of cannabis resin on Tuesday, which was discovered within a load disguised as a generator.
The UK Border Agency said it was found during routine checks on unaccompanied freight arrivals at the port.
The case has been passed to HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) investigators. ukimports.org
25/02/09 - Oil spill after tankers collide
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An inquiry is under way after a tanker collided with two other vessels in Southampton Water causing an oil spill.
The MV Valler Mosa collided with the MV BW Orinoco and the MV Navion Fennia, which were both berthed at Fawley Marine Terminal, just before 1100 GMT. ukimports.org
25/02/09 - Japan exports drop 46% in January
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Japan's exports plunged 45.7% in January compared with a year ago to hit the lowest figure in 10 years, official figures have shown.
Imports exceeded exports by 952.6bn yen ($9.9bn; £6.8bn). It is the largest gap since records began in 1980.
Demand for Japanese cars in particular dropped by 69%.
Trade in electronics and other goods has also slumped as global economies and consumer spending contract, pushing Japan deeper into recession.
"Japan is particularly vulnerable to this downturn because trade is so central to the economy," World Trade Organization head Pascal Lamy told reporters on a visit to Tokyo. ukimports.org
23/02/09 - Eurostar returns to full service
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Eurostar is due to restart a full service through the Channel Tunnel for the first time since a fire last year.
Work to repair fire damage cost over £60m and was completed on 10 February. Eurotunnel shuttle and freight trains have already returned to full capacity.
Eurostar said it had taken longer to return to full service because of the need to implement a new timetable.
A new direct service from Ashford to Brussels, delayed from December because of September's fire, will now start.
The high-speed trains between London and Paris and Brussels will also run through the tunnel at 100% capacity again, with a maximum of four per hour. ukimports.org
20/02/09 - Cocaine haul discovered at port
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Two Spanish men have been arrested at a Hampshire port after 30kg of cocaine, with a street value of £1.8m, was found on a lorry arriving from France.
The men were detained by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers on Thursday at Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port after disembarking a ferry from St Malo.
The cocaine was discovered within a load of biscuits.
Also, a Romanian man was arrested after 1.5 million cigarettes were found on a lorry at Poole ferry port. ukimports.org
20/02/09 - Channel ferry firm seeks takeover
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The newest ferry company operating from a Kent port is proposing to takeover a rival to save hundreds of jobs.
LD Lines, which operates between Dover and Boulogne and Dieppe, said it would make a formal bid for SeaFrance.
SeaFrance, which sails to Calais, this week said it may axe 650 French jobs to survive a steep fall in the cross-Channel freight market.
Its owner, French rail operator SNCF, said it had not received any formal takeover proposals.
Christophe Santini of LD Lines said the company was expanding and would save at least 350 jobs if the takeover went ahead. ukimports.org
18/02/09 - Ryanair to cut jobs and flights
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Ryanair has announced 50 jobs are to go and 10 routes are being cancelled at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The budget airline said rising Air Passenger Duty (APD) and falling sterling exchange rates have led to a "collapse" in traffic at Liverpool.
Ryanair is to operate six aircraft from the airport instead of seven, a move which it says will result in 200,000 fewer passengers this year.
Routes to Budapest and Paris are among those taken off this summer's schedule. ukimports.org
18/02/09 - Albino frogs seized at airport
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Albino frog and crested gecko tadpoles have been seized at Manchester Airport after being imported illegally.
The six creatures were seized by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officials at the airport on Wednesday.
They were brought into the UK from the United States by a commercial importer who did not have the right paperwork, the UKBA said.
Trade in Geckos is regulated to protect the species, while bullfrogs are banned from the EU to protect native species. ukimports.org
12/02/09 - EU plans new charges for lorries
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A panel of Euro MPs has voted to introduce extra road charges to curb congestion and pollution from lorries.
The measures - not yet adopted by EU ministers and the full European Parliament - would beef up an existing "Eurovignette" directive.
EU states would be free to impose levies on lorries using major roads. The current rules only apply to those on motorways that cross borders.
Congestion charges - like the one in London - would apply to all traffic.
The European Commission, which drafted the revised directive, says the new charges would mean an extra 3% cost for road users. ukimports.org
12/02/09 - Over 1,000 jobs to go at airport
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An aircraft maintenance firm has said it plans to close its operation at Dublin Airport with the loss of up to 1,135 jobs.
SR Technics said it had been forced to make the decision after losing four key contracts.
Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced cuts in its summer schedule at Dublin Airport, saying they will result in the loss of 200 jobs.
These will be among pilots, cabin crew and engineers. ukimports.org
12/02/09 - New ferry service launches early
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Up to 100 jobs are being created with the launch of two new ferry services from the Kent port of Dover.
Ferry operator LD Lines launched its service from Dover to Boulogne four months ahead of schedule on Thursday, along with a new route to Dieppe.
The Boulogne route was previously run by SpeedFerries, which went out of business last November.
LD Lines said another 100 jobs were being created in the French port, and a second ferry added from 1 July.
The introduction of the second ship will increase the number of daily return sailings to Boulogne from two to six, with a crossing time of one hour and 45 minutes. ukimports.org
11/02/09 - Airline creates 160 Gatwick jobs
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)More than 160 jobs are to be created at Gatwick Airport when an airline introduces eight new routes to the European mainland.
Aer Lingus plans to start its services to Faro, Malaga, Munich, Nice, Vienna, Dublin, Knock and Zurich in April.
A spokesperson for the company said the routes would be in direct competition with EasyJet, who recently announced new flights from the airport. ukimports.org
10/02/09 - Trade woes as the Box arrives in Brazil
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)At the busy port of Santos the work of loading and unloading containers continues relentlessly.
Among them is the BBC Box, as it continues its journey around the world. ukimports.org
09/02/09 - Storm fear to shut Paris airports
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Paris airports will shut to flights from 2000 (1900GMT) for 12 hours because extremely high winds are expected, transport officials say.
The French capital is facing winds of up to 120km (75 miles) an hour, forecasters say.
The country is on storm alert with the French Atlantic coast expected to be worst hit. ukimports.org
05/02/09 - Senator Lines to shut down
- Courtesy of The Journal of Commerce Online (www.joc.com)Senator Lines of Germany today announced it will wind down its liner services with immediate effect as the deepening slump in container shipping claimed its first high-profile casualty.
Senator, which is majority owned by Hanjin Shipping of South Korea, said it is halting operations in the face of reduced cargo volumes, overcapacity and increased competition, especially on the major east-west trade routes.
The carrier, which was established in 1987, will continue trading until it has delivered all of its cargoes. ukimports.org
04/02/09 - Vessels stand idle as demand evaporates
- Courtesy of The Financial Times (www.ft.com)Among the redundant ships moored on the River Fal in Cornwall, in western England, sit two grey and white ships with high, blank sides. The pair - the Autocarrier and Autoline - symbolise the sudden slump that has hit the business of shipping cars by sea.
Until recently, they were busy ferrying cars between Europe's busiest car import ports and smaller ports around the continent.
Now, United European Car Carriers (UECC) - their operator - has left them on the Fal with a skeleton crew until the sector's grim outlook brightens.
Such short-sea feeder ships have been among the first to find themselves put out of work by the car carrier industry's sudden slump. ukimports.org
04/02/09 - Fluid spill closes Gatwick runway
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The main runway at Gatwick Airport has reopened following a fluid spillage.
Airport operator BAA said its airfield operations teams and fire service had cleared the hydraulic fluid after the runway was shut at 1120 GMT.
Ten flights had to be diverted to Bournemouth, Stansted, Southampton and Manston airports from Gatwick. ukimports.org
04/02/09 - Liverpool chosen for shipping HQ
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An international shipping line has agreed to move its headquarters from London to Merseyside.
The Maersk Line employs more than 117,000 people in around 130 countries across the globe.
The company already has a base in Liverpool and said its positive experience of operating in the city contributed to its decision to move.
The firm also said operating its headquarters from Liverpool had cost benefits. ukimports.org
03/02/09 - Nine vehicles in motorway pile-up
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Nine cars were involved in a pile-up in snowy weather on Hampshire's M27.
Police said an off-duty paramedic treated two people with minor injuries after the crash between junctions 7 and 5, near Southampton. ukimports.org
02/02/09 - Flights cancelled in heavy snow
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)About 270 flights were cancelled at Stansted Airport in Essex and 95 at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire on Monday because of heavy snow.
Luton Airport suspended all flights, but the runway at Stansted remained open and services were expected to improve on Tuesday.
Road traffic was disrupted on the M11 and A12 in Essex after crashes.
Train services were affected and hundreds of schools closed, with Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire worst hit.
On Monday, Ryanair cancelled all flights from Luton and Stansted from 1500 GMT while 40 Easyjet services were affected by the weather. ukimports.org
02/02/09 - Plane slips at Heathrow taxiway
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A plane has slipped off a taxiway at Heathrow Airport, lodging its front wheel in a grassy area.
Snow and ice are being blamed for the incident which happened when the Cyprus Airways flight 332 landed at 0820 GMT and was moving to Terminal 1.
Heathrow's operator, BAA, said passengers were unharmed and were evacuated from the aircraft.
A BAA spokesperson said the front wheel of the plane had landed in the grass area and was being removed.
The aeroplane was the last flight to land before both the runways at the airport were closed due to snow earlier on Monday, however the southern runway has since reopened. ukimports.org
02/02/09 - Heavy snow envelops much of UK
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Heavy snow has fallen overnight across much of the UK and is disrupting travel - as forecasters warned of the most severe snow for six years.
South-east England was hit hardest, with London buses pulled from service due to the "adverse weather" and the temporary closure of Gatwick airport.
The snow also resulted in Jack-knifed lorries blocking the M1 and the M25.
The conditions led the Met Office to issue an extreme weather warning for London and the south east of England.
Up to 6in (15cm) of snow was predicted in Kent, London, Surrey and Hampshire as temperatures plummeted overnight.
A BAA spokesman said the runway at Gatwick was closed for two hours between 2000 and 2200 GMT on Sunday, with 23 flights cancelled and 18 diverted to other airports, but a Gatwick airport spokesman said the airport had now reopened and the runway had been cleared.
Individual airlines are suffering delays and cancellations as a result of the weather, however.
Stansted Airport said it hoped to have its runway re-opened "soon" and passengers were being checked in but told to expect delays and cancellations.
Heathrow Airport has not reported any problems. ukimports.org
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