Archives: May 2008 cargo news
The News stories below are cargo / freight related stories which made the headlines in May 2008 (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.
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31/05/08 - Thousands join Heathrow protest
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Thousands of campaigners opposed to plans for a third runway at Heathrow joined a protest rally outside the west London airport.
An estimated 3,000 protesters marched from Hatton Cross to Sipson, the village that would be lost if the planned runway goes ahead.
They then gathered to form a giant "NO", that could be seen from the air.
Campaigners say the planned expansion would have a serious impact on hundreds of thousands of homes in the area.
But business groups and airlines claim the third runway is essential. ukimports.org
31/05/08 - Runway proposal deadline extended
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The deadline for formal responses to a proposed second runway at Stansted Airport has been extended.
Six local authorities in Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire are campaigning to stop a second runway being built at the UK's third busiest airport.
Airport owner BAA says the plans for the Essex airport would boost the economy, but opponents claim it would be environmentally disastrous.
The deadline for responses from interested parties is now 26 September. ukimports.org
30/05/08 - Port will be working by 2010
- Courtesy of The Thurrock Gazette (www.thurrockgazette.co.uk)SOUTH West Essex is set for a £1.5billion investment bonanza after government ministers ended a near four year wait for a verdict on Thurrock's new 'world class' container port and business park.
That's how much developers DP World are planning to spend on the site of the former Shell oil refinery at Coryton near Corringham in a project that will bring 14,000 new jobs to the region.
It is almost four years since government planning inspectors held a public inquiry into the controversy scheme, which was bitterly opposed by many local residents but after it has been kicked around the corridors of power and back and forth between government agencies, Transport Minister Gillian Merron finally gave approval to the plan on Wednesday. ukimports.org
20/05/08 - Aviation impacts 'hotly disputed'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)UK ministers have been urged to halt airport expansion until the true costs and benefits of the proposed increase in flying are properly understood.
The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) have been examining aviation policy for a year.
They conclude that so much fundamental data is disputed that an independent inquiry is needed to sort it out.
The government said it had serious objections to the report's findings. ukimports.org
19/05/08 - County wants halt to flight changes
- Courtesy of The Ipswich Evening Star (www.eveningstar.co.uk)CHANGES to flightpaths over Suffolk should be put on hold until decisions are made over the proposed expansion of Stansted according to county bosses.
Suffolk County Council experts are worried permitting the Essex airport's current runway to be used to its maximum capacity and building a second runway will mean significant increases in the number of jet planes over Suffolk.
County councillors are being recommended to object to the airspace changes, which will affect many people across the county, ruin its tranquillity and cause “unacceptable consequences” for urban areas. ukimports.org
16/05/08 - Chemical store 'already at docks'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A company has started controversial plans to store hazardous chemicals near a residential area without gaining permission, a council has revealed.
In April Arcelor Mittal Kent Wire applied to Medway Council for approval to store 2,500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at Chatham docks.
The plans were criticised by the local MP and residents over safety concerns.
But the council revealed stocks of the potentially-explosive farm fertiliser have already been moved onto the site.
The storage unit is near homes, a shopping centre and the police headquarters. ukimports.org
15/05/08 - Burst tyre causes runway closure
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The northern runway of Heathrow Airport had to be closed for 20 minutes after an aircraft arriving at the airport burst a tyre on landing.
The incident occurred when the aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines landed on the runway shortly before 1110 BST.
"The aircraft made a routine safe landing, exited the runway and passengers disembarked," a Heathrow airport spokesperson said.
The runway was closed until 1130 BST while an inspection took place. ukimports.org
13/05/08 - MPs want more airspace discussion
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Two MPs are attempting to get more time to discuss plans to change the use of airspace over parts of the East.
The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has already allowed an extra month's discussion of plans to stack aircraft waiting to land at London airports.
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are among the areas that would be affected.
James Paice, MP for SE Cambridgeshire, and Richard Spring, for Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, say in a Commons motion the consultation period is "inadequate".
Their motion refers to the consultation by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) on its proposals for airspace changes in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
This area is known as Terminal Control North. ukimports.org
13/05/08 - Jet crash inquiry focuses on fuel
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Investigators looking into the British Airways air crash at Heathrow in January are focusing on the plane's fuel systems and engines.
An interim report from crash investigators says the engines had low pressure at the inlet to fuel pumps.
The plane, which was arriving from China, came down on grass at the end of the runway.
A now-discounted theory was that radio signals from Gordon Brown's motorcade interfered with the Boeing 777.
The prime minister's motorcade was leaving Heathrow at the time, after dropping Gordon Brown off for a flight to China.
But the report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) rules out electromagnetic interference. ukimports.org
12/05/08 - Fear over chemical store dangers
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Residents near a Kent port are concerned about plans to store 2,500 tonnes of a farm fertiliser which can also be used in bombs.
Arecelor Mittal Kent Wire has asked Medway Council for permission to store ammonium nitrate at Chatham docks.
The site is near homes, a shopping centre and the police headquarters.
An official hazardous substance consent application was registered in April and a notice was published in a local newspaper on 15 February. ukimports.org
11/05/08 - T5 foreign passengers 'unchecked'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Security errors at Heathrow's T5 have allowed foreign passengers to enter the UK without showing their passports.
British Airways (BA) blamed confusion over the terminal's layout for overseas passengers being treated as domestic arrivals and bypassing immigration.
A BA statement admitted a "small number" of passengers from international flights were sent to the wrong sections of the terminal.
The airline said new processes were now in place to address the matter. ukimports.org
11/05/08 - Protest over change in air routes
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A protest has been held in a village over plans to change aircraft routes in and out of Luton airport.
Villagers living in Caddington and Slip End in Bedfordshire say they will have to put up with more flights and noise.
The residents, who protested in Caddington on Saturday, say they will have aircraft flying over their homes every four minutes.
The National Air Traffic Service says the changes will benefit people across the region. ukimports.org
09/05/08 - BA confirms June move for flights
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)British Airways will begin to move its long-haul flights to Heathrow's Terminal 5 from 5 June, the airline has confirmed.
The first phase will see eight long-haul destinations switched from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 - about a quarter of Terminal 4's schedule.
The move was supposed to begin on 30 April, but severe problems at the new £4.3bn terminal delayed proceedings. ukimports.org
05/05/08 - Opinions sought over flight paths
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Residents, parish and town councils have until 15 May to give their views on flight paths over Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.
Suffolk Coastal District Council wants peoples' views to help it provide a response to a consultation by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS).
NATS is looking to alter the way planes are directed to fly in eastern England. ukimports.org
04/05/08 - Cocaine haul worth £15m is seized
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Police have seized cocaine worth an estimated street value of £15m.
Cumbria police said the drugs were discovered when two lorries trying to enter the UK at the port of Harwich in Essex were stopped and searched.
Seven men have been arrested and addresses in Cumbria, Lancashire, Lincs and Nottinghamshire are being searched as part of an on-going operation.
The two vehicles are believed to have come from Holland and were targeted as part of a long-running investigation.
Police in Cumbria, Lancashire and HM Customs say drugs were only found in one of the lorries, but both vehicles are connected to the smuggling ring. ukimports.org
02/05/08 - New flights from city's airport
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Two new long-haul flight destinations will be displayed at Newcastle Airport for the first time this weekend.
Thomson Fly flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Cancun in Mexico will take off for the first time on Sunday and Monday.
Existing long-haul destinations from the airport include Orlando, Toronto, Dubai and Sharm El-Sheikh. ukimports.org
01/05/08 - Crane Ship Back In Port
- Courtesy of Felixstowe TV (www.felixstowetv.co.uk)The crane-laden ship the Zhen Hua 23 is back in Port again, this time to move 2 quayside cranes from Trinity Terminal to Landguard Terminal to replace the 2 that were wrecked in an incident involving the ship 2 months ago. ukimports.org
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UKimports.org is not responsible for any content or advice given in any external site and we are not endorsing or promoting any product or company referred to on our site. ukimports.org
