The third international airfreight conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics SA will be held on May 6-7 in Johannesburg at a venue to be named. ‘Accelerating air cargo and express freight’ is the theme of the event. Further information is available from tamsyn@ciltsa.org.za

The world liner fleet reached the 13-million TEU mark last week, for a total tonnage of 176-million tons deadweight, according to ALS Alphaliner. The figure includes all types of ships effectively deployed on liner trades, and 6 078 ships are involved.

The cellular ships contribute to 94.4% of this figure, and the remaining 5.6% is shared by non-celled container ships, multipurpose tonnage and ro-ro ships. “We expect that the 14-m TEU mark will be reached in August 2009,” the report added.

International airlines saw a huge 13.5% fall in cargo traffic in November, according to figures from the carriers' grouping Iata. “The 13.5% drop…is shocking," said Giovanni Bisignani, Iata director-general. “As air cargo handles 35% of the value of goods traded internationally, it clearly shows the rapid fall in global trade and the broadening impact of the economic slowdown. The industry is now shrinking by all measures.”

Emirates will launch a double daily Moscow service from February 2. The airline's cargo services to Moscow began on a five times a week basis in 2003. As demand grew, that became six times a week, and in March 2005 Dubai to Moscow went daily. Currently, Emirates' flights to Moscow are served by the airline's Boeing 777 series.

The extra flight will increase weekly capacity into Russia to more than 220 tonnes. Currently, the main products moved by the airline inlude flowers from Africa, pharmaceuticals from the Indian subcontinent and meat from Australia and New Zealand.

Ten years since the launch of its service to Nigeria, South African Airways (SAA) is keen to increase frequencies on the route. “This will hopefully become a reality soon, as the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the SA and Nigerian government was recently amended to allow for the operation of ten weekly flights per country,” an airline spokesman said.

It’s one of the airline’s most successful routes with load factors more than doubling and steadily increasing, according to the spokesman. In recent years an ad hoc freighter aircraft has also been operated on demand. The SA – Nigeria BASA has also been amended to allow for the operation of three weekly all cargo services per country.

The second Green Supply Chain Conference will be held on August 27 at a venue to be confirmed. The event is organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics SA. Further information is available from tamsyn@ciltsa.org.za

If you have your 2009 diary handy, a date to pencil in is January 29. That’s the first networking lunch of the Johannesburg chapter of the Exporters’ Club. The SA Reserve Bank exchange control department will discuss its ‘Export Pilot Project’ – the process of exporting without a Form 178.
Participating in the Export Pilot Project (EPP) will reduce the time and documents required to comply with the exporting regulations. The EPP presentation will propose the process of exporting without the completion, attestation and acquittal of the Form F178. Queen Mogane - senior manager, and Joanne Maepa - junior exchange control officer are the presenters. As always it will be a lunch-time meeting at a venue to be announced.
Further information is available from sandy@exportersclub.co.za

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Should you wish to join a dynamic and growing Freight Company please forward your CV to Ken Randall at krandall@worldnetlogistics.com.