Category Archives for "Uncategorized"

MAJOR SHIPPING LINES AND IBM FORM TRADELENS BLOCKCHAIN

By Godfrey | Uncategorized

Two major Shipping lines – CMA CGM and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) have joined the Maersk/IBM created TradeLens blockchain platform as so-called foundation carriers.

“The addition of these two major global shipping leaders marks a crucial milestone for the industry, which until now has too often relied on paper-based trade and manual document handling that lead to increased costs and reduced business continuity,” Maersk stated in a release yesterday.

“Digitisation is a cornerstone of the CMA CGM Group’s strategy aimed at providing an end-to-end solution tailored to our customers’ needs. An industry-wide collaboration like this is truly unprecedented. Only by working together and agreeing to a shared set of standards and goals are we able to enact the digital transformation that is now touching nearly every part of the global shipping industry,” said Marc Bourdon, a senior vice president at CMA CGM.

TradeLens partners provided an update yesterday on developments at the blockchain platform over the last 12 months. An important milestone discussed was a 15-customer pilot involving more than 3,000 unique consignments, 100,000 events and 6,000 containers to ensure the TradeLens platform distributes and shares shipment data across various supply chains with speed and accuracy.

SHIPPING TO CONFLICT ZONES

By Godfrey | Uncategorized

Mombasa, Kenya | February 02, 2017

Over the years some parts of Africa have been engulfed in civil wars, secessionist and separatist conflicts with major episodes of national violence, riots, massacres etc. This acts of impunity has left over 9 million fleeing their homes and internally displaced people with the most vulnerable – young, old, sick and women left to fend for themselves.

In a bid to avert more suffering and deaths, the international communities, non-governmental organizations, and other well-wishers have worked hard to ensure that aid reaches to the affected areas.
Logistics has proved to be a major challenge in movement of the mission, relief and aid cargo shipments to the conflict zones. The shipper who mostly are located in the cargo country of origin have no or little knowledge of the conflict areas where the cargo has to be shipped to.
Other challenges faced are cargo safety and security concerns; geographical knowledge of the cargo delivery areas; poor road network and infrastructure; cumbersome port documentation processes with the customs, dealing with different regimes at destination have proved to be more difficult. Adding to this is finding a trusted and reliable service provider to ensure the smooth flow of your cargo.
Most cargo in some instances have ended up in the local market instead of the intended final destination. In some cases, the shippers have been lured by very low-priced rates, which eventually become much expensive once the cargo arrives at the port of discharge and documents handed over. The providers come up with other hidden charges which initially were not part of the initial offered rate.

At Africa Shipping Logistics, we understand these challenges faced by many shippers and have strived to ensure that our clients do not have to worry about their cargo while on transit. This kind of cargo requires efficiency and effectiveness in delivery without hindrance of the cargo smooth flow while on transit to the final destination.

We arrange and plan for the cargo movement from shipper’s door step to the final end destination, thus leaving the shipper free of the headaches and worries of their cargo.

Our qualified and experience personnel, ensures that the cargo is processed through customs from the port loading, discharge and various border points depending with the hinterlands destination without much delay. We also provide our clients with a direct contact person to ensure that they stay updated on the cargo movement while on transit.

Our executives always work hand in hand with the client, guiding them on all the formalities and processes involved from the arrangement, planning and advent loading of cargo at the country of origin. We also offer free logistics advice and consultancy to our clients on the cargo movement.

For Booking of space for your Mission, Relief or Humanitarian assistance cargo shipments please get in touch with us! You can call us on +31(0)10 476 0241 or send your request to info@africashippinglogistics.com ,WhatsApp on +31(0)6 4193 1340, Follow us on Twitter @AfricaShippingL and Facebook @AfricaShippingLogistics

Visit our website:www.africashippinglogistics.com to stay much updated about our services!

Maersk Line Strategic Cooperation set to dominate Container trade

By Godfrey | Uncategorized

Maerskline – Copenhagen | 11 December 2016

Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) today announced a new strategic cooperation.

The cooperation is a combination of slot exchanges and slot purchases between the three parties, as well as Maersk Line and MSC taking over a number of charters and operations of vessels currently chartered to HMM. The cooperation is outside the scope of MSC and Maersk Line’s 2M vessel sharing agreement, however, will provide HMM access to the 2M network. For Maersk Line the cooperation will provide new opportunities, not least in the Transpacific trade where 2M gets access to strong HMM products.

“We are pleased to enter into this strategic cooperation with Hyundai Merchant Marine, Korea’s leading container carrier. It will enable us to enhance our 2M network and presence in the important Transpacific trade. We look forward to leveraging these new opportunities to the benefit of our customers,” says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer, Maersk Line.

The agreement is scheduled to begin in April 2017 subject to regulatory approval. The initial term of the cooperation is three years with option to extend and covers key East-West trades. The parties expect to disclose more information about network changes and schedules in early 2017.

$5.2 BILLION RAILWAY PROJECT TO EASE INLAND HAULAGE COST FROM TANZANIA, RWANDA AND BURUNDI

By Godfrey | Uncategorized

The New Times, Dar Es Salaam | 30Th April, 2016

The Dar es Salaam-Isaka-Kigali/Keza-Musongati (DIKKM) standard gauge railway (SGR) project is progressing well, an official said. Eng. Jules Ndenga, the acting special project implementation unit coordinator at the Ministry of Infrastructure, said this following a recent joint technical monitoring committee meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.

“Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda are continuing the joint development of the DIKKM railway project. The recent meeting in Arusha was a joint technical meeting aimed at extending the contract for the transaction advisory services that had expired on December 31, 2015,” Eng. Ndenga told The New Times last week from Kampala, Uganda. The extension of services being processed will end this month.

The Arusha meeting, which was attended by officials from various entities, including finance, environment and land departments from the three countries agreed on the contract terms and conditions and the Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), will procure it on behalf of the three countries.

Eight firms have been prequalified to bid for the construction of the standard gauge railway to link the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Rwanda and Burundi as the region seeks to lower transport costs.

Details of prequalified firms to finance, design, build and operate the proposed 1,665km long railway are however scanty. The project will cost about $7.6 billion, making it one of the East African Community’s biggest railway project. “I cannot name the firms that have been prequalified. But about 60 per cent are from China,” said Imbuchi Onyango, a technical expert on railways at the East African Community Secretariat.

MAP OF NEW RAILWAY ALIGNMENT source AfDB, 2015

The Dar es Salaam-Isaka-Kigali-Keza-Musongati railway, is a high priority project within the framework of the East African Railway Master Plan. According to the Rwanda Transport Development Authority, at least 172 km of the route will be in Burundi and 123km in Rwanda.

There will be 407km of new alignment in Tanzania from Keza to Isaka, and 970km paralleling the existing metre-gauge line between Isaka and Dar es Salaam.

Mr Onyango would also not reveal when governments of Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi are likely to call for the bids, saying the African Development Bank (AfDB), the major financer of the project, has to issue a no-objection note on the prequalified firms.

Mr Onyango described the prequalified firms as experienced and financially sound and thus able to deliver the project in time. “The list of prequalified firms has been sent to the African Development Bank for a no-objection note before they bid,” said Mr Onyango in Kigali.

The East African states are under pressure from the business community to develop an efficient railway system to reduce the costs of transport.

High transport costs in East Africa have been cited as a serious challenge to the region’s ability to compete effectively with the rest of the world in trade. For instance, importers say it costs Rwanda on average $4,990 to import a 20ft container while the sub-Saharan average is $2,504, which makes the country uncompetitive in cross-border trade

The estimated cost of standard gauge railway project is $5.2 billion.

Africa Shipping Logistics your ONE STOP LOGISTICS SERVICE CENTER to any part of TANZANIA; RWANDA; BURUNDI and DR. CONGO!! Call us today on +31 10 476 0241 or email us on info@africashippinglogistics.com. Check our website www.africashippinglogistics.com for more information about our services.

We look forward to serving you!

The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of the publishers of www.africashippinglogistics.com

Hello world!

By sowmedia | Uncategorized

Welcome to Africa Shipping logistics, your one stop centre for all your logistics needs! As your logistics partner we offer you a cost effective, reliable and secured Door to Door Logistics service to Africa.