A word from GPLN:                                                                          Newsletter Issue 76 / July-August 2020

Dear Reader,
The project logistics industry is facing a big challenge to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic as the two first consecutive quarters in 2020 of GDP contractions in almost all countries indicate the start of an economic recessions. Tighter credit markets, reduced investor confidence and commodity price volatility all have a negative effect in the next months and years to come. Economic crises have come, gone and returned for as long as there have been markets. A key trend to stay afloat are various government stimulus packages and the role they will play in kick-starting economies which is a significant proportion of these funds to be invested into infrastructure projects. China, which has managed to avoid a recession according to the country’s national bureau of statistics, unveiled a USD 667 billion stimulus package in mid-May 2020. Considering that China is the world’s largest commodity importer, some industries should be able to move forward on a slightly surer path. Europe, meanwhile, has remodelled its Covid-19 recovery package into a green energy portfolio with renewable energy and climate neutral industry at the heart of a USD 827 billion stimulus.

On another note it was reported that the Port of Bilbao has recorded strong growth of wind energy components in the first half of 2020. Despite the Coronavirus, which caused many manufacturers to temporarily shut down factories, volumes rose by 23%. The Spanish port is facilitating the industry further with the aim to become a major wind energy hub. The strong growth is remarkable as the European wind energy installations for 2020 are expected to be 30% down compared to industry forecasts, according to Wind Europe, which names Spain and Italy as the most heavily impacted countries.

In other news, Drewry reported that charter rates for multipurpose ships are not expected to recover back to pre-Covid-19 levels until the end of 2021, with the recovery anticipated to take even longer if the global pandemic is not contained. The shipping analyst expects the virus to be contained globally over the next few months, with a second wave being avoided. If this positive forecast will be the case it would allow both the global economy and dry cargo demand to rebound in 2021. This year the global economy will record a sharp recession over the year with the latest assumptions for global GDP at minus 5% when compared to 2019.

As you know, we have moved this year’s AGM to next year and it will now take place in Bremen from May 15-17, 2021, again at the Dorint Parkhotel which was our venue in 2018 and 2019. We have scheduled our annual conference just ahead of Breakbulk Europe (May 18-20, 2021), so that our delegates can combine both events in the same city. All relevant details are published on our dedicated AGM page of our website. This is obviously subject that the world is back to normal by then.

Breakbulk Europe which was rescheduled to September 29 to October 1, 2020 has been finally cancelled and moved to next year. Considering the ongoing increase of infected people with the Covid-19 virus in USA and also travel- and other restrictions all over the globe, we have decided not to exhibit at Breakbulk Americas in Houston which was postponed from end of September to early November 2020 and GPLN will therefore not attend any logistics event until the end of the year.

Stay safe and healthy!

Best regards,

Your GPLN team

BATI delivering various yachts and catamarans to their owners

BATI Innovative Logistics has been busy at the ports this summer, delivering yachts and catamarans to their owners. Part of it was a Sunseeker Manhattan 52 which was 18 meters long and had a weight of 27 tons, delivered from Southampton/UK to Izmir/Turkey. BATI delivered also a 17-meter motor yacht from Slovenia to Turkey. The yacht was launched in Slovenia and sailed to Italy, where it was loaded onto a truck. She travelled from Trieste, Italy to Çeşme, Turkey on a RORO Vessel. Afterwards the yacht was launched at Çeşme Marina and set sail for her final location and moored at the port of Alaçatı.

Furthermore, BATI moved another yacht from Fethiye/Turkey to Split/Croatia. The yacht was 20 meters long and had a weight of 40 tons. She was loaded directly from the water onto the vessel and discharged back into the water and her shipment lasted less than 5 days. BATI added also a catamaran to the Aegean sea to set sail. Catamarans are one of the best boats to sail across the Turkish Riviera and the Greek Islands. This Catamaran had 3 cabins and was 12 meters long and transported from La Rochelle in France to Fethiye/Turkey, loaded directly from the water on the deck of the vessel and delivered directly into the water in Fethiye

The scope of work included custom clearance at Krishnapatnam, port handling, storage and inland transportation of the cargo. The shipment was part of a long-term contract for which SARR Freights has handled over 150,000 FRT of project cargo so far. The cargo handled included ODC, Break Bulk & Containerized cargo. A specialist in Project cargo, SARR Freights has extensive experience handling ODC & Breakbulk cargo, providing turnkey solutions including multimodal freight forwarding, custom clearance, warehousing and port handling in India.

STAR Shipping delivers during Eid Holidays in Pakistan

STAR Shipping Pakistan was given recently the task of transporting a crucial shipment of Jhimpir Wind Power Project by General Electric, during the Eid-Ul-Adha Festival 2020 from Karachi Port to Jhimpir. Although logistics industry remains closed in Pakistan during Eid Festivals, yet Star Shipping Pakistan specially arranged the timely delivery and successfully delivered the shipment and unload the aforesaid at Jhimpir Site by Star Shipping’s Crane & rigging team. The weather was humid &hot due to summer in Pakistan, yet it didn’t inflict any influence on the logistics operation. Even though it was Eid-Holidays in Pakistan, but keeping in view of the importance and urgency of the shipment delivery, Star Shipping Pakistan delivered the cargo without any delay and in safe & sound condition. STAR Shipping handled also an Inspection of 2,458.7 FRT Break-Bulk Cargo at KPT.

Keeping in view the professionalism of STAR Shipping Pakistan, one of our clients gave us the technical task of surveying a break-bulk shipment comprising of extra-long and over gauge steel structure units at Karachi Port, destined to be delivered to Karachi Shipyard, Pakistan. There were total 32 packages in aforesaid shipment including10 Over-gauge & heavy Girders. Total freight ton was 2,458.70. The shipment was discharged & received under hook at Karachi Port in safe & sound condition. The hook-hook receiving of whole shipment is carried out in monsoon season, but luckily there was no heavy rainfall during the operations. No injury to any human resource or equipment occurred during the process, Alhamdulillah.

GSS handle urgent Air Charter to Port Harcourt

Whilst the plan was down, production was at a full STOP. Cargo needed to be collected, packed/crated and fastest solution to Port Harcourt. As all general airlines we normally use have had an embargo for West Africa since the Covid-19 Pandemic started, we had to check with the usual carriers to be sure and also the air charter options. In the end all the regular carriers declined, except Turkish, but the space situation and flight schedule were not good and we could not risk delays transferring via Istanbul. So, we opted for the AN-12 charter option. On 7^th arranged the Air Charter, and the air craft was mobilized in from Accra Ghana to IAH Airport, Houston. Cargo was packed on 8^th and transferred to the airport on 9th and ready for export. The AN-12 arrived IAH 10th 7.30am and was loaded 10am on the 10^th. Wheels up 22.07 LCL. Our customer was panicking a little as you can imagine, with emails and text coming non-stop, but we kept them informed of every step of the process.

Fox Brasil collaborating with the energy growth of South America

For the largest companies, as is well known, managing a supply chain may require dedicated teams in all areas the chain touches. So, it is safe to say that supply chain management is both an art and a science. Thus, for this specific project, FOX Brasil Project Logistics was hired by a renowned company specialized in industrial energy equipment. As it could not be otherwise, the logistics of this Corporation is being led by a strong and dedicated woman and, in these terms, we received the nomination along with the biggest challenge of meeting the tight schedule, to avoid contractual fines. In this sense, we received this “big gift” – managing the complete export logistics of a stator with great pride, and this is crucial to note: there was no lack of dedication from our team, as well as from all subcontractors for an excellent execution.

It must be emphasized that we also have an incredible partner in the destination country of the cargo, which is part of the same Network Group as FOX, facilitating communication, management and mutual trust. Our scope of work included the reception of the cargo at the Brazilian Port – Santos, São Paulo. All the management and handling of the cargoes, stuffing, lashing, the International ocean freight, complete port terminal handling at the Country of destination – Port of Callao, Peru, and delivery of the pieces at the Matucana Plant. Besides of the tight schedule, our customer made another importance request that is “avoid extra handling and moving the cargo”. Considering this instruct, we aligned the discharge of the cargo from the truck directly to Mafi equipment. The same action, was made at the Port of destination. The cargo was loaded from the Mafi directly to the truck.
The Hydroelectric Power Plant of Matucana, which began operations in 1972, its located on the San Jerónimo District of Surco, in the 64.5km east of Lima. The intake is connected to the plant through a 20-km tunnel. Matucana’s surge tank is made up of two 500-metre-long underground chambers, with a capacity of 30,000 m3 each which allows this plant a nominal capacity that may run up to three hours, even in dry periods.

Turk Logistics completes multiple projects

Turk Logistics & Heavy Transport from the Kingdom of Bahrain, recently completed another successful barging operation. The shipment consisted of one unit of a transformer, with a weight of 140 tons and dimensions of 8.70m x 3.55m x 4.40m (L x W x H). During the arrival of the shipment in Bahrain, Turk team received the transformer from ship hook and placed it on the stools support to complete the customs formalities. On the later date it was rolled directly from the port to the barge and the same method was performed during discharge at the private jetty. From the private jetty to the project site the cargo was transported by road using 12 Axle Hydraulic Low Beds. At the project site, the Jacking and skidding method were used to place the transformer on the pad. Furthermore, Turk Logistics proudly announce the continuous deliveries of Cable Drums, from January 2019 until July 2020. We have delivered a total of 763 Cable Drums from 3 different clients. Cable drums had various dimension ranges from 4.6 m diameters, width 5.0 to 6.0 m and weight from 30 Ton to 90 Ton.

We provided a complete logistics solution from receiving under the hook and delivered the cable drums to different site locations. Turk achieved this success through careful planning without sacrificing the safety aspect in order to meet the client’s demands. Turk Heavy Transport has recently also completed the transportation of the Pedestrian Bridge Section for our client Haji Hassan Group, for the ongoing project in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The shipment is consisted of 7 units of Pedestrian Bridge Section and a weight is 61 Ton each. Dimension:  25 x 3 x 3 Meters each. With close and timely coordination of operation team members, TURK managed to execute the transportation safely. A brief background of the project: A pedestrian bridge is built to link Bu Maher Fort to the rest of Bahrain’s Iconic Pearling Trail. The 3.5 km trail is one of the Kingdom’s best-known attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project is set to be completed in October 2020. The footbridge will help the visitors enjoy their trip to explore the site.

Firstly, we moved the cargo by the barge of ‘ZHE JIA XING HUO 02616’ while our chartered floating crane of ‘XING YANG BA HAO’ was waiting for offloading the barge for loading them into our chartered vessel MV. SHUN YUE 13. The loading was completed on July 21, 2020 without any damage at Shanghai port, and the cargo was unloaded at Pyeongtaek port in South Korea two and a half days later, despite heavy rain and strong wind. Commodity: cold boxes and accessories / Quantity: 20packages / Volume: 2890cbm / Max weight per package: approx. 90 tons

As an alternative solution, Consolcargo has also promoted services by sea/air to solve rate restrictions for the air market. In response to this strategy, Consolcargo has coordinated more than 30 shipments with “FCL 40″ Containers”. We positively acknowleged that these shipments have allowed us to fulfill the needs of medical supplies and biosafety, which becomes the most favorable method of fighting Covid-19.

Greenroad never give up

GREENROAD from China won an EPC project of 3000TPD cement plant transportation in Nepal, which is still ongoing from China to Nepal since September, 2019. It’s the biggest EPC project in our long project logistics history. The project includes more than 30,000 freight tons break-bulk cargoes, and 230+ containers. The biggest obstacles were about heavy cargo and ODC cargo transportation on the mountain roads of Nepal which had lots of weak bridges. In the meantime, GREENROAD already finished transportation for 6 lots of this cargo which already arrived at Kolkata port. Due to COVID-19, India and Nepal both blocked the cargo for a few months and stuffed them inside the port.

We also had to face a shortage of trailers which was a challenge to move cargo altogether. The total project cargo transportation was arranged by two different routes from China, considering the project delivery time request. A: containers and OOG break-bulk cargo: China to Kolkata/Haldia and further on to India & Nepal border and Dhading, Malekhu in Nepal. B: general break-bulk cargo: China to China & Nepal border and on to Kerung and Zhangmu and Dhading, Malekhu in Nepal. We had a lot of meetings to discuss this transport program before cargo forwarding, preparing also road survey, truck escort and coordination of sufficient suitable trucks to transfer cargo. Our perfect preparatory work made this transportation smooth and successful.

Projects division handle several project shipments

Polaris Shipping Agencies LLC (United Arab Emirates) project team recently completed several projects during the current Covid-19 restrictions. Details on our successfully completed jobs are listed below.

Handling of Seamless Steel Tubing at Port Hamriyah / Approx. 2100 frt. Tons:
Polaris Projects was responsible for local handling of Seamless Steel Tubing, strictly as per Clients handling procedures at Port Hamriyah, Sharjah. Our scope included receipt from Under Hook inward vessel to Receivers for necessary lining / modifications and further on-carriage to their nominated CIS destination via Poti, Georgia on completion of lining process. The total volume of around 2100 frt. tons in multiple lots was received stored in our nominated storage yard for inspection by appointed independent surveyors for any damages and further delivered to Receivers to their requirement.

Shipment of Second Rotor to Port Escombreras, Spain:
Polaris Projects shipped out second set of Rotor from Port Khalifa, Abu Dhabi to Port Escombreras, Spain with subject OOG Heavy lift with shipping dimensions of 12.20 x 4.05 x 3.85 M. (Length x Width x Height) and unit weight of 95.000 MT. Polaris scope included pre-carriage from Suppliers, complete all origin export requirements, sourcing of suitable vessel basis liner terms hook/hook. Since Polaris represents BBC Chartering as their port agents in all Middle East port, we fixed MV BBC Cape on part charter for subject time sensitive shipment basis last in / first out / with transit time of 16 days. Shipment was delivered to Receivers before the deadline to satisfaction of all concerned.

Local handling of construction equipment’s demobilized from Europe:
Polaris Projects successfully handled local operation for a project delivery ex Europe at Port Hamriyah, Sharjah with our scope to complete all related inward customs formalities, receive shipment ex under hook store in designated storage area and subsequently deliver to Receivers site to their convenience. The shipment of apprx.2000 frt. tons of construction equipment’s including heavy lift with Unit Weight of 70 MT was received on suitable trailers with no delay to Vessel as required since shipment arrived on liner terms – to receive cargo as fast as vessel can discharge. Furthermore, shipment arrived on MV BBC Vesuvius operated by BBC Chartering who are represented in Middle East by Polaris Shipping Agency division which enable Polaris Projects to coordinate the delivery smoothly.

PROTRANSER handle OOG to Taiwan

PROTRANSER’s team provided OOG (Out Of Gauge) cargo logistics service to one of our main clients, who is a global leader in sustainable energy solutions. They were chartering a breakbulk cargo vessel from Guangdong, South China to Taiwan. Cargo was CFB (Circulating Fluidized Bed) boiler equipment’s. The total cargo volume was over 1000 CBM. We sent our staff to the port to supervise the whole loading process and keep close contact with our client. With the professional service and taking the advantage of a good relationship with all related partners, PROTRANSER handled again one more OOG cargo successfully. Be safe! Hope the world will get over the COVID-19 soon. On the road. For you. With you.

L.C. Van Tiel Logistics ships a Cutter Dredger to ME

L.C. Van Tiel Logistics B.V. have recently transported a Cutter Dredger from The Netherlands to the Middle East, and for this project they were involved from door-to-door. The Cutter Dredger was dissembled into 7 pieces with lengths between 14,50 – 17,10 meters and widths between 0,50 – 3,52 meters. The heaviest piece was weighing 53 tons. When it comes to exceptional cargoes, they know the way!

Lift & Shift delivers project cargo for HURL Barauni & Sindri

Lift and Shift India Pvt. Ltd, a leading Heavylift operator and Project Logistics company in India operating over 7 decades, have achieved one more milestone by handling 17 Nos Heavy-lift & Over-Dimensional cargo for Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL), one of the prestigious projects of Govt. of India. Larsen & Toubro Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE), Vadodara, an EPC contractor for the both the projects – Barauni and Sindri awarded the Multimodal transport contract to Lift & Shift India Pvt. Ltd, for transportation of 17 Nos Heavy-lift & Over-dimensional Cargo from fabrication yards in Vadodara, Hazira & Mumbai to HURL sites of Barauni and Sindri.

Lift & Shift scope of Multimodal operation comprised of: Land transportation of the equipment from the Fabrication yard to the nearest port of Hazira, Dahej & Mumbai / Load equipment on suitable barges and transport to Mumbai / Chartering Heavy-lift vessel from Port of Loading to Kolkata port / Discharge of equipment from heavy lift vessel onto IV class barges, at Kolkata Port. (Barges were modified / strengthened to withstand load of heavy equipment) / Barging – River voyage (inland waterways) in the Ganges to Simaria / Sahibganj jetties / Construction of suitable jetty at both locations / Roll-off at temporary jetty.

Challenges faced during the execution of the project: Delay in fabrication of critical equipment caused some unexpected difficulties, like an overhead bridge under construction between Baroda & Surat, would be crossing the transport route between Bharuch to Dahej, the air clearance being only 5 m as against equipment height of 8.2 m or air clearance of 9 m, LTHE and Lift & Shift team met the authorities and requested to delay installation of girder to give sufficient time to transport these equipment, Lift & Shift developed a bypass for safe transport. Dredging in the Ganges: Sahibganj jetty, where the jetty was being, our team reported drastic reduction in water levels resulting in a requirement of dredging for the last 1 km of the inland waterways channel. Lift & Shift mobilized 2 dredgers and after continuous dredging for about 30 days the barge could reach the jetty for discharge. Covid-19 Lock down: Partial lockdown starting 3rd week of March 2020 and the Government of India declared a complete lockdown across India from 25th March 2020, Shipment of lot 2 were reaching the port for loading. This lockdown without notice put the entire team into disarray. All activities were suddenly put on halt. Lift & Shift team had to approach the concerned authorities at senior level and obtain special permission to operate and load cargo at Dahej / Mumbai port keeping all new safety norms and precautions to safeguard life of people. April 2020: As 2nd shipment sailed to Haldia, section 144 was in force and restricted movement of more than 2 people together along with the Covid-19 fear peaking and tight lockdown norms across West Bengal, Lift & Shift made special arrangement to address the safety concerns by arranging an accommodation barge for the discharge operations and limiting movement of people every day this was with twin moto to avoid delays to ship and limiting exposure of people to virus and avoid daily travel of team members till the completion of the vessel. Road transport from Sahibganj to Sindri site:
The equipment transport commenced during June, and with monsoon having commenced, the height of 8.2 m that required removal of electrical wires / leveled roads for safe transport became a challenge, as at times due to heavy rains the roads would get washed away requiring temporary civil works, sudden downpour would result in cancellation of transport movement as electrical shutdown was not possible and safe. The transport of 230 kms took about 50 days to reach the site. Lift & Shift has always strived, achieved to meet the commitment to deliver the cargo safely and on time. In Spite of all the unforeseen challenges and unfavorable weather conditions Lift & Shift successfully delivered all 17 Nos equipment safely to both the sites to the satisfaction of the LTHE.

With the whole distance of 485 km across 9 provinces/cities (including Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong), Vietranstimex has conducted surveys, calculations and prepared also the appropriate plan to ensure in-time transportation, as well as ensuring the compliance to safety procedures in lifting and transporting oversize-overweight loads.

STA Logistic from Belarus is solving the problem

During the peak period of the COVID-19 lockdown situation in May to July STA Logistic has arranged a multimodal delivery of 2 asphalt mixing plants (disassembled) from China to Russia. One of the main tasks facing us was to arrange the delivery of cargo by the beginning of July. This is due to the fact that with the help of these plants new roads should be built in September in Murmansk and Tyumen. STA Logistic has developed 2 different multimodal delivery schemes, taking into account the geographic location of the destination cities. Delivery of first asphalt mixing plant line was from China (Langfang) to the Russian Federation (Murmansk) through the port of St. Petersburg. We arranged the shipment of 21 containers including special container equipment: 8 x 40’FR. The door-door transit period was 60 days. Total volume: 1200 cubic meters. Weight: 198 tons.

Delivery of second asphalt mixing plant line was from China Hebei (Langfang) – Manchuria / Zabaikalsk, Tyumen. Due to the geographical location of Tyumen it is the shortest route of delivery from China to Russia – by trucks. When we delivered the cargo to the border Manchuria / Zabaikalsk, the border was locked for truck transit and opened for cargoes which were transported by rail only. The decision was made promptly – the cargo was to be reloaded into rail wagons to cross the border. In Zabaikalsk the cargo was again reloaded into trucks. The most laborious part of this project was to distribute the cargo competently into trucks, rail wagons and truck platforms at the border Manchuria / Zabaikalsk and make also the documentary transport support.  Due to different transportation regulations of China and Russia the amount of transport vehicles on the territory of Russia (20 units of special transport trucks) is bigger than on territory of China (20 units of special transport trucks). Double overload became, in fact, the correct and prompt solution to the issue of border closure. Weight 250,000 kg and Volume 1200 cubic meters. The client was satisfied with the extraordinary approach of STA Logistic in solving non-standard tasks. The basis of success is high professionalism of STA Team and reliable partners on the whole route of shipment.

EUKOR: How We Deliver Breakbulk Cargo w/o Wheels: ‘Cassette’

Transporting breakbulk involves number of challenges, especially when the cargo needs extra care and attention. But thanks to our strong team of industry experts and a wide range of special cargo handling equipment options, we can deliver almost all types of cargo, whether on wheels or not. EUKOR successfully delivered 568 bundles of pipes with a very creative idea of utilizing a special cargo handling equipment called ‘Cassette’ at the port of Bremerhaven, Germany. Have you ever heard of a breakbulk cargo handling equipment called ‘Cassette’? The ‘Cassette’ is an equipment specially designed by EUKOR back in 2017 for handling relatively taller rail cars which were impossible to be handled with regular Roll-trailers. As the height of Cassette being lower than Roll-trailers by 40-50 centimeters, there was enough height clearance even if we loaded taller rail cars. This equipment is suitable for handling a maximum load of 80 ton equally divided in 24-meter configuration, or 95 ton in 12 meter or 18-meter configuration. For this the total length of the assembled cassette can be accomplished by combining different length of cassettes. Meaning 1 x 12 meter, or 6+6 meter, or 1 x 12 + 1 x 6 meter, or 3 x 6 meter, or 2 x 12meter, 4 x 6 meter or 1 x 12 + 2 x 6 meter.

Mr. Folke Neby, the Port & Cargo Operations Manager in Germany who oversaw cargo operation for the pipe delivery project said, “We could have done it the way we usually do, using stanchion on corners of roll-trailers and stack the pipes. But we thought utilizing this Cassette could load more and a bit safer to deliver huge number of pipes, reducing risk of cargo damages.” He added on saying “For tubes and round bars, these devises are good. What is lacking is a pick-up point on the upper side. With such they would be more flexible to handle and could possibly also be used as double-decker.” What made this project prominent is that instead of stacking pipes loose on Roll-trailers which may have required more time for proper lashing and extra care – such as requiring dunnage between the layers of pipes thick enough to allow forks to pass through, we stuffed the cassette on a roll-trailer with full load of steel pipes in bundles. In addition, it could be safer, and load more compared to the conventional way of stuffing the cargo on to Roll-trailers. Also, as utilizing the Cassette reduces time for cargo operations, it could be regarded as a more efficient way of shipping cargo for shippers’ perspective, taking the circumstances where time and money spent for loading and discharging normally is charged to shipper. For more information please contact our breakbulk team to find out more about how we can help you with your breakbulk cargo.

CHIREY ships transformers to Chattogram

Waiver Logistics imports an INTEGREX turning machine

At Waiver Logistics Argentina we are commited to achieving a highly efficient service to be worthy of the trust of our customers. Shipment dimensions: 1×40 Flat Rack FV; Machine Cover: 6.32 x 3.5 x 3.62 m; Gross Weight: 29,800kg / 1×40 Flat Rack OH-Pieces 2 Cases: 1@ 4.43 x 2 x 3.43 m + 1@ 4.53 x 2.37 x 2.18 m; Gross Weight 8500kg / 1×40 High Cube-Pieces, 3 Cases, Total Cbm 23, Gross Weight 4000kg. No matter where, We Deliver.

EXCELLENT SHIPPING handle challenging project

Excellent Shipping from China carried out recently a particularly challenging project of delivering two propellers from Shanghai to Rauma in Finland as a door to door delivery. The cargo had following dimension: (L*W*H): 7.96m * 3.8m *6.41m and a weight of 80 tons each. The propellers were firstly transported from shipper’s factory to Shanghai Electric Lingang Port by trailer, followed by the transportation from Lingang Port to Shanghai Yangshan Port by barge and then to Hamburg by ocean vessel, after which they were barged to Finland. The last stage of this journey was the inland transportation to the nominated site in Finland. One challenge of this project was the particularity of the cargo. Besides the weight of 80 tons, the height of the propellers was 6.41 meters. In addition to the impressive height, the lifting rings of the propeller were not at the same level, therefore, it was difficult to adjust for the spreader to keep a good balance.

This task was also time-critical. The cargo ready time was July 14, and the door delivery date required by the client was August 30. The shipment was scheduled to be shipped directly from Shanghai to Rauma by CMA carrier, which would take about 43 days to arrive at Rauma, plus about 5 days of customs clearance and truck door delivery. It would delay the delivery date and as a result there would be huge penalty incurred. We rearranged and worked out a new plan: start from Shanghai to Hamburg by CMA, taking just about 33 days, and then by barge to Finland which was arranged by our German agent. Considering this route, the shipment could be delivered to door around August 28. The new routing was faster and economical, and the ocean freight cost was almost the same as the first one. Furthermore, the typhoon weather in Shanghai had made the operation more difficult. We overcame the bad weather and managed to work in rainy days to meet the client’s tight delivery date. The cargo was ready on July 14, and then loaded on the barge at Shanghai Lingang Port on July 15, and finally loaded on ocean vessel at Shanghai Yangshan Port on July 18, which arrived in Hamburg on August 20. Our Hamburg agent arranged it by barge to Finland and made the delivery before the deadline of August 30. Through careful planning, we arranged the best possible shipment schedule, which made sure that shipment was delivered on time to complete this project successfully.

ALPHA handles projects in Namibia and to the sub-Saharan region.

Due to an increase of Covid-19 infections, the Namibian government decided on Saturday the 1st of August to impose a lockdown in the Erongo region and Khomas region until the end of August. Walvis Bay, where Alpha Projects & Logistics has a regional office, is located in the Erongo region. However, the port is working, and vessels are still loading and discharging. It is still possible to arrange for inlands transportations in Namibia and to the sub-Saharan region. Our Botswana office, located in Gaborone, Greater Gaborone region, was opened again on 13.08.20 after another lockdown for 14 days due to the Covid-19. Our other offices in Genoa, Rotterdam and Dubai are fully operational.

Upon arrival in end August the materials will be destuffed at Walvis Bay port and delivered on trailers to final delivery in Brakwater, Namibia. At Nampower, Brakwater the transformer will be installed at a power station to support and expand the power grid in Namibia. Lastly, we performed an urgent project shipment as Break Bulk on FCL vessel with total weight of 235 MT from Busan, South Korea to Southampton. The vessel is due to arrive Southampton in the end of August where after the materials will be transported by truck to final destination in Worcester. We are very glad to see that even though the whole world is going through a very challenging time, we still see activity and shipments being made.

GRUBER Logistics: How can companies respond to the Coronavirus crisis

How can companies respond to the Coronavirus crisis: stopping or initiating audacious change processes, by rediscovering their corporate culture. The story of GRUBER Logistics, a South Tyrolean company that has operated in the transport and logistics sector since 1936. The global crisis caused by the Coronavirus has affected companies of all levels and economic sectors, forcing them to rethink priorities, processes and their volume of business.

Undeniably, even if the COVID-19 emergency has strongly impacted the logistics sector, there are a few companies such as GRUBER Logistics where the response was not limited to the simple application of the anti-crisis measures provided by the government, but rather focused on the launch of a series of internal initiatives, including team-building activities and online workshops, to promote its corporate values. “The real competitive element for a service company like ours is given by the people who work there” explains Martin Gruber, CEO of the Group. “Today more than ever, we felt it was important to rediscover our identity through our values and to involve all our employees in this process. The crisis is behind us and we must now be ready to face the new market situation as a team.” The company has, in fact, opted for a minimum amount of Short-time Compensation, willing to continue its development programs, as planned before the beginning of the pandemic. The values defined by GRUBER Logistics – “Challenge, Motivation, Trust and Improvement” – have been an essential part of the Group’s identity since its foundation in 1936. One year ago, in the light of the company’s growth and the consequent increase in the number of employees, GRUBER Logistics had already started to relaunch and promote its values in all the 30 international branches of the Group. Despite the Coronavirus crisis and its consequences, the company has now decided to not stop the change process initiated the previous year, but rather to start again from the discovery of the corporate values and the company identity. Italian companies

Egyptian Global Logistics (EGL) Role in the Largest Sugar Factory

On the 15th April 2020, Egyptian Global Logistics (EGL), subsidiary of KADMAR GROUP, received the Canal Sugar project. The operation process is still going on and till now EGL successfully completed transportation of 5 heavy boilers. A great engineering efforts and pre-study had been done to define the best route with less civil work activities as the vessel’s mandatory called at Damietta port (Due to Corona Virus, there wasn’t alternative options to use other port). So special arrangements took place with Damietta container terminal, Port authority, Customs, Road & Bridges authority, RBA consultant and Central escort in order to guarantee smooth operations of port handling and in-land transportations for 900K.M to final destinations especially for the first shipment due to spread of COVID-19 Virus and daily curfew from 17:00 till 06:00.EGL achieved this success through careful planning without sacrificing safety aspect in order to meet clients demand.

Canal Sugar is an integrated Agro-industrial project incorporating reclamation and cultivation of 181,000 acres of land (c.76,000 hectare / 790 square kilometers), making it the largest agricultural project in Egypt since 1952, in addition to building and operating the world’s biggest sugar beet processing plant with an annual production capacity 900,000 m3 ton of a premium white sugar. The sugar processing plant is scheduled to start operating in the 1st quarter 2021 while the agricultural land is expected to be reclaimed by 2022.

Our team organised to load the units as bulk by a general cargo vessel from Ashdod Port to Izmir Port and worked out the exact dimension and lashing methods for safe loading. All steps were considered with accurate cargo details to choose the appropriate crane types and lifting points for loading/discharging, to avoid an uninterrupted flow during the operation. We always keep in mind that the first stage in our transportation industry is a profesional pre-planning for the whole process, such as choosing the suitable haulage type for over sized/heavy weight units, and a correct stowage plan which is playing a very critical role in the loading process into the vessel’s holds through the navigation. At the end, we completed this project successfully and safely, thanks to our onboard energetic, young chartering and operation team. Once more we at Suvari Shipping are ready and have greater strenght for upcoming projects.

CKB Logistics lifting Caterpillar (CAT) 3516 Industrial Machine

PT Cipta Krida Bahari (CKB Group), a member of PT ABM Investama Tbk (ABM), has been awarded a project logistics service by the Heavy Equipment company, PT Trakindo Utama (TU) to lifting Caterpillar (CAT) 3516 Industrial Machine to PT. Indokeppel Data Center Jakarta building site. The total of industrial machines was 5 (five) units with the heaviest main enclosure being 34 tons and the longest size being 12 meters. Before doing the lifting process, CKB Group had to mobilize and dismantle the crane 360T before mobilization to the building site. The area for this crane mobilization and position had to be cleared without crashing any material, scaffolding, and according to safety conditions. The crane 360T lifted up all part of enclosure and engines at the top of the building. After all parts of engines were assembled, the unit was rotating 90 degrees, using jacking & rolling equipment.

A prudent survey, operating plan analysis, routes and type of transportation were the key factors of a success delivery, which means meeting the customer’s expectation with CKB Group solutions. The project was challenged by the Indonesia’s geographic and minimum infrastructure; thus, the company plays an important role in restoring the necessary infrastructure such as strengthening local bridges so it could be crossed by the project transportation. This included also operation timing precision while using sea transportation with challenging climates and weather changes which had all to be addressed to the team to handle and properly manage local issues. Nevertheless, with CKB Group’s vast experience in handling this kind of projects; this cargo shipment was a success and delivered timely and safely.

FOX Brasil helps pulp and paper mill to increase its plant self-sufficiency

Fires, oil leaks, pollution and deforestation. These days our news feeds are filled with images and stories that predict a bleak future. There are indeed many obstacles to our environmental progress, but this is the time to focus on what we are for, not just what we are against. In this sense, our client decided to invest in expanding and modernizing its Santa Catarina pulp and paper mill unit, in the South of Brazil.
FOX Brasil Project Logistics was the responsible for the complete logistics that brought this inspiring project into reality. Technology isn’t the first thought when we talk about sustainability. But, supported by the new technologies installed at the paper mill, the company will increase its self-sufficiency from 55% to 85%.

Our scope of work included loading of all items on shippers premises, inland transportation door to port, export customs and port clearance, stuffing/lashing and securing of the FR’s, port handling an ocean freight from Gothenburg; Montreal; Nhava Sheva; and Vancouver to Paranaguá Port, Brazil. The cargo volume was 3 x 40’ OOG FR + 17 x 40’ OH OT from Pune, consisting of washer drums 11.3 x 4.3 x 4.6 meter/weight 32 MT and the accessories crated and packed in wooden boxes with maximum height limit of 3.5 meter; 3 x 40’ OT OOG from Vancouver, BC; 2 x 40’ OT in gauge from Montreal, QC; 3 packages of pumps from Saeffle and 1 a stand pipe from Madrid, to be loaded onto 1x 40’OT IG in Gothenburg. As expected for a project with this dimension, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak, we had some challenges to face! There was a difference between the dimensions and weight presented at the moment we received the final details and the ones inspected at the supplier’s premises.

Finding and securing special equipment, as well as space, honoring the terms in our contract was challenging. But, even in a pandemic situation (particularly during the lock-down), all parties were committed to the ongoing contract and we were able to avoid any delay or inconvenience to our contractor. We also had to deal with multiple last-minute requests from suppliers worldwide. After meticulous study, validation and planning, using containers, carriers i/o breakbulk vessels etc., we could deliver a far more cost-effective operation.