MARITIME consultancy Hackett Associates in its latest edition of North Europe Global Port Tracker has forecast that total volume in the six major north European container ports of Le Havre, Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Bremen/Bremerhaven and Hamburg will increase by 3.9 per cent in 2014. The report, produced together with the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics, said this annual throughput will exclude transhipment and empty container moves, with exports expected to be up 3.4 per cent, following a 1.6 per cent increase from 2012 to 2013, the Logistics Management reported. With growth in Eurozone nations seeing a mere 0.5 per cent GDP,... Read more > >

The chairman of Vietnam Logistics Business Association (VLA) has notified that local logistics firms will have to cope with tougher competition in a very near future when Vietnam opens the market wider for foreign companies as part of the country’s further regional and global integration. [caption id="attachment_174" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The aircraft of Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar are seen at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC. VLA Chairman Do Xuan Quang says infrastructure is one of the bottlenecks that restrain logistics growth in Vietnam.[/caption] Do Xuan Quang said foreign companies were currently allowed to own a maximum stake of 49% in a logistics... Read more > >

Two reports released by the World Bank (WB) on January 7 provided new insights on Vietnam’s freight logistics sector, including inland and coastal waterways, highlighting that it can be a new driver of growth for Vietnam. The report “Efficient logistics: A key to Vietnam’s competitiveness” found that logistics operations in Vietnam are costly relative to key regional peers like China, Malaysia, and Thailand. It is estimated that Vietnam’s shippers spend approximately USD100 million annually in extra inventory carrying costs incurred due to import-export clearance delays; and this amount is projected to reach USD180 million by 2020. Various factors contribute to the high cost,... Read more > >