Powering ships with residue and waste: CMA CGM to test bio-fuels
Leading container operator CMA CGM is planning to test and scale the use of second generation bio-fuel oil in its vessels as part of a joint venture with IKEA Transport & Logistics, the GoodShipping program and the Port of Rotterdam. The bio-fuel oil, developed by GoodFuels, is derived from forest residues and waste cooking oils, and is expected to reduce well-to-propeller CO2 emissions by 80-90%.
The test will begin next Tuesday (March.19) and, according to a statement, is being facilitated by the GoodShipping program, a sustainable initiative aimed at making low carbon bio-fuels widely available for commercial use the maritime industry. The fuel “virtually eliminates” sulfur oxide emissions without the need for engine modification, which could make it a very attractive alternative for shipping operators that want to meet International Maritime Organization’s 2020 sulfur reduction deadline without making an enormous investment in scrubbers or battery systems. The joint –venture partners hope to demonstrate the scalability, sustainability and technical compliance of marine bio-fuel, but also that the “means to accelerate the energy transition are already available for the sector to grasp.”
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Air France KLM Cargo first to implement DG Autocheck
Air France KLM Cargo (AFKLM Cargo) has recently become the first airline group to implement the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) new digital solution for managing and accepting dangerous goods, known as DG Autocheck. According to AFKLM Cargo’s Executive Vice President Marcel de Nooijer, the group handles over 1.5 million shipments per year, 173,000 of which require dangerous goods handling. The DG Autocheck solution is meant to increase efficiency in air transport management for dangerous goods, while “enhancing safety and compliance.”
DG Autocheck was designed to facilitate the acceptance of dangerous goods by checking the compliance of the shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods (DGD) against the relevant rules and regulations posed by the IATA. Declarations are either received electronically or a paper copy is transformed into electronic data using optical character recognition technology. The solution also provides the airline or ground handlers with a pictorial representation of the cargo, showing the necessary markings and labels for air transport. This can help them to make better decisions when accepting or rejecting cargo, such as lithium batteries, during the inspection stage.
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Global air freight sees sharpest decline since 2015
According to the IATA, global air freight has seen its biggest year-over-year dip in three years this February. Director General and CEO of the IATA stated that air freight has been struggling over the past year under the weight of “protectionist measures and trade tensions.” In total, air freight transports $6 trillion worth of goods globally each year, which is more than a third of the total value of global trade per annum.
The measure of air freight ton-kilometers sank by 1.8% globally. The worst affected areas include the Middle East (-4.5%), Asia Pacific (-3.6%) and Europe (3.1%). Whereas North America saw a 3.3% increase. However, this is not necessarily a cause for concern; factors such as an early Chinese Lunar New Year and the US- China dispute are partly responsible for sinking demand, but it is important to pay attention to seasonality to look for “signs of a ‘meaningful’ negative inflection” and to gauge the real state of the industry.
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Have a nice weekend.
