Kuehne+Nagel in Apex agreement
Kuehne+Nagel enters into a binding agreement to acquire Apex International Corporation (“Apex”), one of Asia’s leading freight forwarders.
The company was founded in China in 2001 and has expanded throughout Asia and beyond over the years of its growth history.
With approximately 1,600 employees, Apex generates yearly turnover in excess of CHF 2.1 billion. In 2020, the company handled total air freight volume of approximately 750,000 tons and sea freight volume of 190,000 TEU.
Dr. Detlef Trefzger, CEO of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, says: “The combination of Apex and Kuehne+Nagel provides us with an opportunity to offer our customers a compelling proposition in the competitive Asian logistics industry, especially in e-commerce fulfilment, hi-tech and e-mobility. We are looking forward to welcoming the Apex colleagues to the Kuehne+Nagel family.”
Rotterdam awards harbour quays contract
The Port of Rotterdam Authority has awarded the construction of some 2.4 kilometres of quays and earth-retaining walls in the Princess Amalia Harbour to the HOCHTIEF, Ballast Nedam and Van Oord contractor consortium.
The decision marks the start of the further development of the harbour located on Maasvlakte II, which will increase annual throughput capacity in the port of Rotterdam by four million standard containers (TEU).
“Particularly because of e-commerce, container volumes are increasing sharply,” explains Boudewijn Siemons, chief operating officer of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. “That will continue for the time being. To further strengthen our leading position as Europe s largest container port, we are now responding to this development by investing in the further expansion of the Princess Amalia Harbour. This is an investment that will boost the competitive position of our customers and of Rotterdam.” The potential
Qatar Airways appoints ECS Group
As of February 21, ECS Group, the leading GSSA, with its established presence in the region and strong partnership with the airline in over 20 countries, is supervising the management of cargo capacity via its subsidiary Globe Air Cargo.
Qatar Airways operates fourteen weekly flights from Dubai and daily flights from Abu Dhabi. In preparation for this much awaited recommencement of cargo sales and bookings in the United Arab Emirates, ECS has bolstered its local teams, with a dedicated team supervising the scheduled flights seven days a week.
Said Ehab Matta, Senior Manager Regional Cargo – Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Pakistan “We are delighted to be able to count on ECS Group, with who we share our values of service excellence and customer-centricity. Their perfect understanding of the airline’s processes and their excellent reputation in the region were key factors in our choice.”
Qatar signs UNICEF pandemic deal
Qatar Airways Cargo, the freight division of Qatar Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNICEF for a five-year period to support UNICEF’s Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative. Through this initiative, Qatar Airways Cargo will work closely with UNICEF and its freight forwarders to prioritise the transport of vaccines, medicines, medical devices and critical supplies utilising its extensive global network and capacity.
Through its QR Pharrma product, Qatar Airways Cargo will offer controlled cool chain and dedicated monitoring, intervention and servicing as well as proactive re-icing at its Doha hub when required and will also adjust and increase its cold chain capacity to meet UNICEF’s forecasted requirements.