Archives: September 2008 cargo news
The News stories below are cargo / freight related stories which made the headlines in September 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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29/09/08 - Tories would scrap Heathrow plans
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The Conservatives have said they will scrap plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport and build a £20bn high-speed rail line instead.
Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers told the Guardian the aim was to cut 66,000 Heathrow flights a year by encouraging people to use the train.
The proposed 180mph rail link would run between St Pancras in London and Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. ukimports.org
28/09/08 - Channel Tunnel safety review call
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Liberal Democrats have urged a safety review for lorries using the Channel Tunnel, following a recent fire which caused major disruption to services.
Lib Dem transport spokesman Norman Baker says hazardous cargos such as radioactive material should be banned.
He also wants the amount of fuel that can be carried cut from 1,500 litres to 300 litres to reduce the risk of fire.
The cause of the blaze has not yet been found but French officials say the fire was near a lorry carrying chemicals. ukimports.org
28/09/08 - Port freight traffic queue tested
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The Kent port of Dover is testing a scheme to ease traffic congestion caused by lorries queuing for ferries crossing the English Channel.
Freight lorries approaching Dover on the A20 are being held in a queue at Aycliff, in the town's own version of Operation Stack, on Sunday evening.
Lorries will be released when ferry spaces become available.
If successful, the scheme will be used to complement Operation Stack on the M20 during times of peak demand.
Kent Police were testing the scheme between between the Court Wood and Aycliff roundabouts from 1800 BST to 2100 BST. ukimports.org
27/09/08 - Airports reveal security breaches
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Five UK airports have reported more than 1,100 potentially dangerous safety and security incidents during 2007.
The BBC obtained figures for Glasgow, Belfast International, Manchester, Birmingham and London Heathrow.
All incidents which did or could have endangered an aircraft or its occupants must be formally recorded.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the severity of reported events varies, and warns against drawing conclusions from a 'simple assessment' of numbers.
There are just under a million commercial flights through the five airports every year. ukimports.org
26/09/08 - Heathrow flights 'back to normal'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)British Airways says flights to and from Heathrow are back to normal after a computer glitch at the UK's main air traffic control centre on Thursday.
Some short-haul flights were cancelled on Friday morning, but by lunchtime BA said everything was back on schedule.
Airports were hit by delays in flights across south-east England airspace.
The problems at the air traffic control centre at Swanwick, Hampshire, interrupted the flow of information to controllers at their work stations.
Other UK airports, including Belfast, Cardiff, Luton and Edinburgh reported flights were back to normal on Friday morning. ukimports.org
25/09/08 - UK flights hit by computer glitch
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Flights to and from UK airports are being cancelled and delayed because of a computer problem at the main air traffic control centre at Swanwick.
Departures have been suspended from Luton airport due to air traffic control restrictions. Arrivals are subject to delays.
Heathrow Airport is also reporting disruption on all flights due to the technical problems.
At Stansted arrivals are unaffected but departures are subject to delay. ukimports.org
23/09/08 - 'Tighten ship cargo rules' call
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Accident investigators have called for hazardous cargo on ships to be more tightly regulated following the deaths of two seamen in the Channel.
The pair suffocated when oxygen levels dropped in a storage area of their vessel, the Sava Lake, in the Straits of Dover in January this year.
The Latvian-registered vessel was transporting ferrous metal turnings.
A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said the ship was banned from carrying such a cargo.
The investigation was carried out in co-operation with the Maritime Administration of Latvia. ukimports.org
22/09/08 - 'Island airport' idea criticised
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A suggestion by London's Mayor that an airport could be built on an artificial island in the Thames estuary has been branded a "big bad idea".
Boris Johnson wants to look at the feasibility of a 24-hour, four runway airport near the Isle of Sheppey.
Paul Carter the Tory leader of Kent County Council said the estuary was an "unsuitable" location.
But one of Kent's business leaders said a new airport would have huge benefits for the area. ukimports.org
22/09/08 - Port town seeks to ease traffic
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A Kent town often choked with lorries queuing for ferry services to cross the English Channel is piloting its own version of Operation Stack this week.
Freight traffic heading to the Port of Dover will be held on the A20 at Aycliff, several miles before the town.
Lorries will then be released when ferry spaces become available.
Nigel Collor, from Dover District Council, said the system should make travelling much more bearable for drivers and people in the town. ukimports.org
21/09/08 - Mayor considers 'island airport'
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)An airport on an artificial island in the Thames estuary could be the answer to the overcrowding at Heathrow, London's mayor has suggested.
Boris Johnson believes the island solution could put an end to the need for a third runway at Heathrow.
Officials are looking at plans to reduce air traffic congestion at Heathrow and focus on a 24-hour airport off the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. ukimports.org
17/09/08 - Gatwick Airport put up for sale
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The UK's second-largest airport, Gatwick, has been put up for sale by its owner BAA.
The move comes four weeks after the Competition Commission said BAA may have to sell three of its UK airports because of market dominance concerns.
Several firms are said to be interested in buying Gatwick, which has been valued at £1.8bn by regulators.
Potential bidders include Australian company MacQuarie, Germany's Fraport, and the owners of Manchester airport.
Last week, Virgin Atlantic also said it was interested in being part of a buying consortium. ukimports.org
15/09/08 - Channel Tunnel delays for months
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Eurotunnel has said it will take "several months" before Channel Tunnel services are operating normally again following last week's fire.
French police are investigating the causes of the blaze in the north tunnel, which remains closed.
The lengthy repair work can only begin once investigators conclude their work.
A third of the usual volume of traffic is passing between England and France through the south tunnel. The schedule will be reviewed on Thursday.
An average of 116 services carrying people or freight is going through the tunnel daily, compared with a daily average before the fire of between 300 and 400, according to Eurotunnel. ukimports.org
15/09/08 - Firms back third Heathrow runway
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)A group of 100 businesses is calling for a third runway to be built at Heathrow airport "within strict environmental standards".
Among those backing the project are the British Chambers of Commerce, Hilton Hotels and Severn Trent PLC.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the UK needed "good, direct access to the global economic powerhouses such as China and India". ukimports.org
12/09/08 - Virgin aims to block BA-AA tie-up
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Sir Richard Branson is launching a campaign to try to block the proposed tie-up between British Airways (BA) and American Airlines (AA).
The Virgin Atlantic boss has already attacked the plans, claiming it would create a "monster monopoly".
British Airways counters that the proposed tie-up would be good news for both passengers and the wider industry.
A growing number of global airlines are seeking mergers or other forms of tie-ups as they battle high fuel prices. ukimports.org
11/09/08 - Channel Tunnel shut after blaze
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The Channel Tunnel has been closed after a fire broke out on a freight train about seven miles from Calais.
Thirty-two people on board were led to safety, 14 of whom had suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.
The blaze broke out on a lorry on board the shuttle train at about 1400 GMT, about 11km (7 miles) from the French entrance, the operator Eurotunnel said.
The fire has been contained but all trains have been suspended and thousands of passengers are stranded. ukimports.org
11/09/08 - Delays become worse at Heathrow
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Delays at Heathrow airport have increased, new figures have shown.
Civil Aviation Authority statistics show more aircraft ran late during the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period 12 months ago.
In all, 38% of planes arrived or left the airport more than 15 minutes after they should, compared to 36% in between April and June 2007.
The British Airports Authority (BAA), owner of the west London airport, said a lack of capacity was to blame. ukimports.org
08/09/08 - The Box takes off on global journey
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)The Box is an ambitious and unique year-long project for BBC News to tell the story of international trade and globalisation by tracking a standard shipping container around the world. ukimports.org
06/09/08 - City Airport sells for £132.5m
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Belfast City Airport has been sold for £132.5m to the ABN AMRO Global Infrastructure Fund.
With the sale, the vendors have more than trebled their money in five years.
In 2003, the Spanish Ferrovial Group, which has its headquarters in Madrid, bought the airport for £35m.
Belfast City Airport began commercial operations in 1983. A new terminal was opened in 2001 and, in 2006, the airport was named after George Best.
This year, the airport is likely to be used by about 2.7m passengers.
The aviation industry may be in recession, but carriers using the airport are doing well.
The biggest carrier, Flybe, is making good profits from its route to Gatwick and other UK destinations, as is British Midland. ukimports.org
02/09/08 - Bogus policemen hold up lorry cab
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Drivers are being warned to be on their guard after a lorry driver was held up by two men posing as police officers.
The lorry driver was on the A14 at Claydon, near Ipswich, at about 0325 BST. He pulled over when a car with blue lights was behind him.
Two men wearing high visibility vests assaulted him and attempted to rob his cab. They then drove off in their car.
The lorry driver suffered minor facial and back injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call officers.
A police spokeswoman said the two male attackers were driving a a black Vauxhall Vectra SRI. ukimports.org
02/09/08 - Virgin looking at buying Gatwick
- Courtesy of The BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)Virgin Atlantic has confirmed it is interested in being part of a consortium to buy Gatwick Airport.
Its comments come two weeks after the Competition Commission said in an interim ruling that BAA may have to sell three of its UK airports.
Although the Commission does not release its full report until next year, it added that BAA may need to sell two of its three London airports.
BAA has ruled out selling Heathrow, which leaves Gatwick and Stansted. 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
