Issue 47-48/2013 - ITJ | Transport Journal

Photo: thinkstockKorea.hubs.International Transport Journal 47-48 2013 Contents35 Editorial7 People&Companies11 Shipping &Ports11 Rising freight rates surprise the sector13 ICTSI growing in emerging economies15 Ambitious plans for the port of Long Beach19 The role of Europe’s ports re-definedItalian logistics market enjoying ligh tailwindReturning to confidenceThe Le ta government was confirmed in office in October 2013, and now Italy is ge tingback to work, with the cabinet adopting an infrastructurepackage. After eight quartersof a shrinking economy there are now signs of economic recovery.Positive and negative trendsPhoto: Photo: Christian Christian Doepgen DoepgenITALY43 Contship pleased with itsterminals’ good 2013 results44 TEN-T leaves a mark on Italy47 Planned logistics platformin Trieste taking shape48 M & M in the air and at sea51 The «core port» of Ravennaha steamed ahead this year52 Airfreigh trends not uniform53 CNH Industrial goes abroad43 Contship pleased with itsterminals’ good 2013 results44 TEN-T leaves a mark on Italy47 Planned logistics platformin Trieste taking shape48 M & M in the air and at sea51 The «core port» of Ravennaha steamed ahead this year52 Airfreigh trends not uniform53 CNH Industrial goes abroadCan the Italian trend be turned around?36 Asia Special International Transport Journal 2013State to take stakes in Japanese ports?Competition from across the Sea of JapanJapanese ports are feeling the e fects of the steady growth of the South Korean port of Busan rather distinctly. More and moreshipping lines have decided not to run direct services to Japan and are instead opting for transhipment via Busan. In order toregain market share the government of Japan is considering taking stakes in the Keihin and Hanshin port conglomerates.Both Japan’s container ports as we l as its boxlines have reported lo se so far this year.Japan wants to make its ports a be terbusine s proposition. Despite severala tempts by the state to make the country’shubs more a tractive as internationalhandling centres for liner shipping services,a great number of large box ships currentlypa s the country by. The competitionfrom Busan (South Korea), whichhas established itself more and more as atranshipment port in the last few years,is particularly strong.For this reason the Japanese transportministry is cu rently a se sing plans to acquirestakes in the companies that operatethe two major container ports in Tokyoand Osaka. Japanese busine s interestsare exerting increasing pre sure on theItaly seems to be realisingtheimportancehigh­speed railway link between Italyof logistics these days. If the upstream and France is we l­known, has a locatedand downstream sectors of the logistics EUR 200 mi lion to th expansion of se­industry are added to the big picture, lected rail hubs. In addition to makingthen the number of employees in the sectoris estimated at around 1 mi lion. To­expansion, a EUR 300 mi lion fund hasgether they generate an annual turnover been set up exclusively for the rehabilita­of EUR 200 mi lion, representingnolestion of roads, bridges and tunnels.provision for investments in motorwaythan around13% of Italy’s gro s domesticproduct. Co rado Pa sera, the transportminister in the Monti government inThere are signs of an economic turnaroundin Italy. Indicators such as retail2012, noted that reforms in the logisticsindustry in Italy had to be accorded strategicpriority because inadequate infradexthat have been declining for yearsstructure and organisationalineficiencyrebounded for the firs time in the thirdwer estimated to be costing the country quarter of 2013, and the demand for ware­EUR 60 bi lion annua ly.housing and logistics capacities has alsoThe cabinet has now provided hi suc­begun to improve.sales and the purchasing managers’ incesor Maurizio Lupi with EUR 2 bi lion In addition to economic uncertainty,to spend on measures to improve Italy’s the politics of a very bureaucratic stateinfrastructure next year. Lupi, whose remain a key unknown variable in Italy.pa sion for a «treno alta velocità» (TAV) One example saw the Italian environmentministry giving international hazardousgoods transport firms just a fewdays notice to get themselves registeredin the country’s refuse tracing scheme«Sistema di contro lo de la tracciabilitàdei rifiuti (Sistri)» by 1 October (see alsopage 51). The Italian authorities provedintransigent and deaf to pleas for moretime, so the IRU and six transport a sociationsfrom six European states have fileda complaint with the European Commission.There is clearly some way to go untilthe flywheel of the Italian logistics marketurns again. Christian DoepgenMoving business forward!Photo: thinkstockgovernment to make the move. They areafraid that the country wi l i retrievablylose its competitiv edge in internationalmaritime transport. The pre sure is onthe government to invest in the Keihinports enterprise, consisting of the centresin Tokyo, Kawasaki and Yokohama, andin the Hanshin ports company, coveringthe ports of Kobe and Osaka. Statisticsshow that in the period 1994–2012 everfewer container ships heading for Europeand North America made a stop in Japan.Many opted instead to cut costs and ca lin South Korea.Subsidised by the stateThe South Korean port of Busan receivesmuch more government support than anyJapanese port. The hub receives an estimatedJPY 4 bi lion (EUR 30 mi lion) insubsidies from the South Korean government.These state subsidies combine withlower personnel costs compared to Japanto a low South Korean shipping lines too fer lower rates to customers, and thusachieve a greater market share for SouthBoth the Keihin and Hanshin megaports,on the other hand, are operatedby local authorities that only have negligibleinfluence on central government.The transport ministry is thus planningSpecials in this issueto revise Japanese port law in the comingyear, to a low the government to takestakes in the two most important portoperators in the country. Analysts expectthe central governmen to buy shares inKeihin ports as early as 2014, which iswhen the ports of Tokyo, Yokohama andKawasaki are due to be consolidated.According to statistics published bythe ministry of economy, trade andindustry, three Japanese ports wereamongst the world’s 20 largest hubs in1994 (when measured by the number ofcontainers handled). In the meantimethere is not a single Japanese port to befound in the list of the world’s top 20The port of Kobe handled 2.6 millionteu last year and was ranked 52nd inthe world, whilst Osaka came 57th, witha throughput of 2.4 mi lion teu. Tokyomade i to 28th, with a volume of almost4.8 mi lion teu.The port of Busan, on the other hand,is number five in the world, with 17 millionteu handled in 2012. The most importantports in South Korea after Busanare the port of Gwangyang and Yeosu,which handled 2.15 mi lion teu in 2012,and the Incheon hub, with a throughputof 1.98 mi lion teu in the same year.Barbara Odrich / Antje VereggeAsia 36Italy 4121 Aviation21 An air bridge to the Philippines23 ABC again expanding its networkEnjoy the reliability of world-classprofessionalism and serviceby China Airlines Cargo.Tel. + 352 34 83 63 - 1 or please consult our website www.china-airlines.com28 Forwarding&Logistics28 Navis collaborating with Italsempione29 Interport also serves Iberia32 Transnatur opens Bilbao warehouse34 Rail/Inland Shipping/Road Haulage34 Drivers hold key to unlocking their potential35 FELB strengthening Eurasian links36 Asia Special37 Shenzhen ahead of Hong Kong?39 Cebu Pacific Air adds freight capacity40 More groupage container services in Asia41 Italy Special43 Contship terminals doing well45 Seeking warehousing capacities48 Militzer&Münch banking on sea and air54 Regional Focus54 Western Europe55 Central Europe and the Nordic Countries56 Eastern Europe57 Miscellaneous /Masthead58 A Time for Reflection/ Advertisers’ IndexJapanese ports gearing up 36The South Korean port of Busan’s transhipmentthroughput has grown steadily in the last fewyears. Read about the Japanese government’splans to improve the ability of its own ports tocompete successfully.Gateway to the East 30Nicholas Minde, the managing director of DHLFreight Switzerland, spoke to the ITJ about thelogistical challenges associated with doing businessin Eastern Europe and about the potentialfor improvement there.Uncertain outlook 52The Italian airfreight market does not present avery uniform picture these days. The country’sairports have been able to gain cargo volumes inthe last twelve months, but the future of Alitaliaremains written in the stars.Cover: Ships moored in portPhoto: thinkstock