Volumes of both import and export traffic through the Port of Hamburg in Germany increased in the first quarter of this year.  This was in spite of falling volumes of imports from the Asian continent. Hamburg is the second-largest port in Germany, and has increased trade with North America by more than 60% and with [...]

A new logistics centre will be built in the vicinity of Heilbronn, selected for its strategic location on the A81 transport corridor.  The new centre will be controlled by Stuttgart in Baden-Wurttemberg and will handle freight from all over Europe. Construction should begin in early summer 2012. The new terminal will employ around 450 employees [...]

A new system which will lift unaccompanied trailers onto trains is set to revolutionise freight between Western and Eastern Europe.  The system which has been developed in Germany will be marketed to the UK logistics industry, with the aim of quickly transferring loads between the different gauges of track used in different parts of Europe. [...]

During one of the driest Novembers in record in Europe, shipping on the Rhine was forced to carry reduced volumes of freight, with consequent increases in freight rates. Rain has finally fallen in Germany and Austria, which has allowed ships to take full levels of freight for the whole German section of the river. However [...]

This month a new direct rail container service from  Germany to China will be officially opened. The transit time of 23 days for a journey of about 11 000 kilometers will run from Leipzig to Shenyang in Northeast China.  The rail operator says that this will be more than twice as fast as the previous [...]

This month sees the opening of a new 41 000 square metre logistics centre in Wiel am Rhein in south Germany.  30,000 EURO pallets can be stored at the same time and 18,000 square metres of floor space is available for storing small freight. There are 35 loading bays. 60% of the space has already been contracted; [...]

The Office for National Statistics has published figures showing that exports from the UK increased in August, compared with July.  The trade deficit narrowed more than expected with exports rising and imports falling slightly. The reduction in imports was inevitable with domestic demand falling and retail confidence low, and this is good news for the [...]

From September onwards,  the existing rail freight service between Rotterdam and Antwerp will also call at the Rail Service Center in Rotterdam. This creates direct access to the rail freight network in South and South-East Europe. This will help to meet the growing demand for intra-European (‘continental’) rail transport. The existing connection, with three departures [...]

A regional rail operator in north east Italy has set its sights on becoming an international rail freight supplier.  They have ordered 35 intermodal freight flat car from a Polish manufacturer, and intend to offer international services between Italy, Germany and Austria. The region’s local government is aiming for a modal shift from trucking to [...]

Intermodal Europe will take place in Hamburg, Germany from 29 November to 1 December 2011.  Focussed on Logistics and Container Shipping by road, air and sea, you can either visit the Fair free of charge, or take a stand in the exhibition hall.  The Conference, covering subjects such as intermodal innovation, the role of rail [...]

Two major charities have published a joint report which claims that international shipping accounts for 3% of global emissions and that shipping companies should therefore pay a carbon tax of $25 per tonne.  Oxfam and the World Wide Fund for Nature argue that this would only cost the industry around 0.2% of the total value [...]

Danske Bank regularly publishes a Freight Forwarding Index, which reports the results of a survey of freight forwarders.  Volumes of freight seems to be contracting in July and August, compared with the previous two months, and the air sector is suffering the worst from this. Freight forwarders in Europe are expecting a slight increase in [...]

A new base in Parsdorf near Munich will forward containers arriving by train from Hamburg for delivery of the cargo by road in the Munich area.  The new base forms part of the strategy to organise regional forwarding of shipping containers which have arrived at the North European sea ports within the different regions of [...]

On August 19, 2011 a single engined plane took off from a grass strip in Berlin carrying cargo only bound for Frankfurt.  Last week, the logistics industry in Germany celebrated this important event, re-inforcing the importance of air freight to the German economy. Germany is the world’s second biggest exporting nation and relies on an [...]

Growth in the German economy slowed unexpectedly in the second quarter of this year.  German GDP only increased by 0.1 percent in the quarter to June compared with the previous quarter. Although exports and investment made a positive contribution, imports grew more than exports so the balance of trade became less favourable.  Surprisingly, Italy was [...]

Food exports from Scotland passed £1bn last year according to figures from HM Revenue and Customs.  Sales of salmon and potatoes were particularly strong, while nearly two thirds of food sales came from fish and shellfish, which increased by 12% in the year.  Exports were helped by a fall in the value of sterling. The [...]