Following nearly 2,000 incident updates in 16 months, Portoverview.com's Africa's editor, Victor Shieh told attendees at the recent Cool Logistics Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, that shipping on the continent is likely to get worse before it begins to see improvements.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released January performance data showing a strong rise in airfreight growth compared to a year ago. Global freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) rose 4.5 percent in January compared to January 2013. This is a significant acceleration on the 2.2 percent year-on-year growth rate recorded in December, and is well above the 1.4 percent full-year growth reported for 2013 as compared to 2012.
Saudi Airlines Cargo is increasing belly capacity on new international routes, with the commencement of passenger flights from Manchester, U.K. to Los Angeles by Saudia Arabian Airlines.
By the end of 2018, half the African population will be covered by LTE networks, as LTE base station deployment swells at a CAGR of 40 percent over the next five years, finds ABI Research.
United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has exercised options for six additional 14,000-TEU vessels bringing the total order to 16 ships. The order has been placed with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Korea and is the largest in UASC's history, worth over $2bn, including all options. The order features vessels that will be amongst the largest, most technologically advanced, and most environmentally friendly container vessels ever built.
Two reports released by the World Bank provide new insights on Vietnam's freight logistics sector, including inland and coastal waterways, highlighting that it can be a new driver of growth for the country.
Figures from the International Air Transport Association show a 6.1-percent growth in demand measured in freight tonne kilometers for airfreight in November 2013 over the same month in the previous year. November's performance is an improvement on the 4.4-percent year-on-year demand expansion recorded in October. This continues an improvement trend in the weak air cargo markets which has been developing over 2013.