The first quarter of 2012 has been an exciting one for the UK car industry – export sales increased to a level of £6.1 billion. For the first time since 1976, car export values exceeded import values. There has been a huge demand overseas for vehicles built in the UK; the increase in exports has [...]

Shipping traffic in the Black Sea is being severely disrupted by freezing seas and excessively cold temperatures. Port authorities are working hard to keep shipping lanes open but vessels heading to Eastern Black Sea ports in Russia and Ukraine are subject to berthing delays. Novorossiysk port in Russia was closed for two days last week.

A 75% stake of the rail freight subsidiary of Russian Railways has been bought by Russia’s (reputedly) richest man.  His company now has control of 21% of the freight rolling stock in the country. Russia moves 42% of its freight on the world’s second-longest rail network. Russian Railways is losing market share to the upgraded fleets [...]

The leading rail freight operator in Russia, TransContainer, announced its latest results two weeks ago, with the news that its first half net profits increased by 610%. This  was attributed to increased freight container volumes, growth in the domestic terminal throughput and “a favourable pricing environment”. Rail container volumes increased by 18.3% to 654,000teu. Russian Railways [...]

Local reports say that express container freight trains are under test on the railway route between Yekaterinburg and St Petersburg.  The project is being managed by two subsidiaries of Russian Railways, RZD Logistics and Trans Container. It is hoped that this will be help to introduce ‘cutting-edge transport and logistics services.’ Fast container trains connecting Yekaterinburg [...]

There will be an open auction in Russia next month, to sell 75% of the freight subsidiary of Russian Railways.  There seem to be three main contenders to purchase the business, funds from which will help Russian Railways to finance its future investments.  The funds will be a key element in reforming the freight side [...]

Emerging markets will become more and more important in the global economy, as countries like India and China report growth rates of around 10%, in sharp contrast to the developed Western economies.  The CEO of Agility Europe wrote in the journal of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport that logistics providers need to re-examine [...]

The largest all-cargo airline in Russia has started a new freight service to Zhengzhou in China.  The airline already operates routes from Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai to Russia and other major centres in Europe.  The new flights are operating three times a week from Maastricht and Amsterdam in the Netherlands through Yekaterinburg and Krasnoyarsk [...]

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 [...]

A gas tanker followed by three ice breakers left Murmansk on Saturday carrying gas condensate for China.  The journey will take two weeks, and the crew will collect data on ice conditions in the area. This is the first time a high-tonnage tanker has travelled from Europe to Asia via the Northern Sea Route.  Sailing [...]

A recently published report on North Europe produced by Hackett Associates and the Bremen Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics shows that volumes of container shipping declined in April compared with March.  The report tracks volumes through Le Havre, Zeebrugge, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremen and Hamburg, which are estimated to have decreased by 2.1%. Consumer confidence [...]

The government in China is due to announce its May trade figures on Friday, and some economists expect that they will show a slowdown in growth.  A  recent report estimates that Chinese export growth dropped to 20 percent year-on-year, down from 29.9 percent in April, while import growth is expected to rise from 21.8 percent [...]