Crowley announced today a new investment in Tugdock, developers of the world’s first road-transportable floating dry dock known as the Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP), to help advance offshore wind energy in the U.S.

Crowley, a U.S.-based supply chain solutions company serving the offshore wind sector, and Tugdock will explore potential use of the platforms in locations, such as the U.S. West Coast, where depth and conventional dry docks may be ill-suited for the logistics required.

“This important investment and collaboration with Tugdock strategically complement our vision and market-leading logistics capabilities to support wind energy development from beginning to end,” said Bob Karl, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Wind Services. “Not only will we help installation developers solve logistics challenges, as a leader in sustainable and innovative maritime logistics Crowley will further the use of offshore wind as a leading alternative energy source by working together with our customers, suppliers, policymakers and others across our value chain for innovations like the Tugdock Submersible Platform.”

In September 2022, the U.S. government announced a goal to deploy 15 gigawatts of installed floating offshore wind capacity off the coast by 2035—enough clean energy to power over 5 million American homes. This supports a U.S. target to reduce the cost of floating offshore wind energy by more than 70-percent, to $45 per megawatt-hour by 2035.

Crowley Wind Services is developing and planning wind terminals in California, Louisiana and Massachusetts. At the California Port of Humboldt Bay, Crowley is progressing on an agreement to build and operate a terminal for manufacturing, installation and operation of offshore wind floating platforms, use of large heavy cargo vessels and provide crewing and marshalling services for the Pacific waters recently approved for leases for wind energy. Humboldt and other West Coast installations will rely upon floating offshore wind turbines.

“We are delighted to form a new partnership with Crowley, a visionary company at the forefront of marine innovation,” said Shane Carr, CEO of Tugdock, which is based in Cornwall, UK.“Their strategic investment will enable us to take our unique technology to the U.S. floating offshore wind market for the first time. We believe that our new partnership will help accelerate the growth of floating offshore wind in the U.S.”

Tugdock recently participated in Crowley’s first Innovation Expo in Jacksonville, Fla., where start-up ventures pitched their innovations for the advanced energy, sustainability, supply chain and technology sectors.

Tugdock’s award-winning, patented TSP technology offers a cost-effective solution for developers and ports in the floating offshore wind industry. TSPs were developed to be launched in ports that lack the sufficient water depth and assembly space required to build and loadout the massive floating substructures required to support offshore wind turbines. The technology allows floating dry docks to be delivered by road in modular form and assembled at the port to dimensions far wider than most of the world’s existing dry docks. Once loaded, the platform is then towed to deeper water for launching and transporting the turbines.

“The cost and time constraints associated with port infrastructure developments and submersible barge suitability are major bottlenecks holding back growth of the floating offshore wind sector,” said Lucas Lowe-Houghton, director of strategy and growth at Tugdock “Our TSP technology helps overcome these issues, providing a ready-to-go solution that does not require planning or environmental permissions. This is a massive benefit as planning permission for a permanent facility could significantly delay project schedules and not provide a return on investment. Tugdock provides a purpose-built permanent or temporary pre-assembly solution for construction and loadout, wind turbine generator integrations and major repair campaigns.”

Envirotainer, the specialist in secure cold chain solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, has celebrated a decade of successful operations in Mexico.

Over the past 10 years, the company has worked closely with its partner, ULD Services MEX, to develop temperature-controlled air freight in the country. Together, they have spearheaded the safe transportation of pharmaceuticals to the benefit of patients locally and worldwide.

Prior to Envirotainer’s presence in the market, Mexico’s pharmaceutical cold chain had been reliant on passive systems. These comprise cardboard boxes, insulation and coolants, which can be wasteful and present the risk of a temperature deviation.

Since 2013, there has been substantial growth in the use of Envirotainer’s active Unit Load Devices (ULDs). These are giant battery-powered and insulated units that can contain pallets of pharmaceuticals in flight. The number of shipments to and from Mexico has also increased, reflecting the country’s flourishing pharmaceutical industry.

Throughout its time in Mexico, Envirotainer has championed partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, forwarders, and airlines. In doing so, it has consistently highlighted the benefits of its ULDs in protecting temperature-sensitive medicines during transport. Through training platforms such as the Envirotainer Academy, the company has educated ground-handling teams on cold chain solutions and the importance of quality in preserving pharma products.

“We are honoured that so many customers have continued to work with us after 10 years in the market,” said Brian Cooper, Head of Sales Americas at Envirotainer. “Looking back, we are proud of the progress Envirotainer, ULD Services MEX, and our customers have made. The partnership with ULD Services MEX has been instrumental in our success. The partner team has provided unwavering support, exceptional service, and effective representation in the market.”

“Mexico has a rapidly growing pharmaceutical sector, and we have witnessed significant changes in the market over the past decade,” noted Alberto Castrejón, Director General at ULD Services MEX. “The rise of complex and sensitive medicines and vaccines requires reliable packaging solutions supported by agile operational capabilities to ensure the safety and efficacy of the medicines shipped.”

Envirotainer is now looking ahead to the next 10 years, with a focus on training customers and partners on the latest offerings in the Mexican market, including the Releye® ULD family and CryoSure® solutions. The latter of these is designed specifically for a small load, -70°C shipments, such as cell and gene therapies, products in clinical development and other non-finished products.

Charles Hogg has succeeded Rachel Morley as the elected national chair of BIFA – the British International Freight Association – for a two-year period.

Charles, commercial director at BIFA member company, Unsworth, who has been vice-chair for the past two years, was appointed a director of BIFA in 2019 and chairs the trade association’s Surface Policy Group.

Alongside Charles will be Keith Baguley, UK import manager at Atlantic Container Line (ACL) who became BIFA’s regional chairman, Merseyside in 2018, and has now been elected as vice-chair.

Rachel Morley becomes immediate past chair for a two-year term, and Sir Peter Bottomley, MP, remains as BIFA president.

BIFA director general Steve Parker comments: “In welcoming Charles and Keith into their new positions, I wish to express my appreciation for the contribution made by Rachel Morley over many years; and pleasure that Sir Peter has agreed to continue in office.

“Charles and Keith’s’ wide-ranging experience and senior roles in successful freight forwarding companies will ensure that BIFA and its members will benefit greatly from these new appointments.”

Dronamics, the world's first cargo drone airline, announced today the successful completion of the first flight of its flagship aircraft, the Black Swan, at Balchik airport in Bulgaria; demonstrating the potential for the logistics industry to enhance efficiency in the transportation of products.

Born out of two brothers’ desire to find a quicker, greener and more affordable way to deliver goods, Dronamics is on a mission to enable same day delivery for everyone, everywhere. This significant milestone is the culmination of months of ground testing and subscale flights. The Black Swan aircraft was remotely piloted by two commercial airline pilots from the Dronamics ground control station.

The successful flight test validates the company's licensed cargo drone technology for commercial flights in Europe, set to begin later this year, serving industries such as e-commerce, pharma, spare parts, and perishables with a fast and cost-effective solution to meet evolving consumer needs.

“Since the day we first imagined what the Black Swan aircraft could look like, we’ve worked towards this flight. Today we’ve made history and are proud to have demonstrated the validity of our drone technology,” said Konstantin Rangelov, Co-Founder and CTO of Dronamics.

”It’s taken an enormous amount of hard work, belief and drive to prove that what we envisioned works. We can now focus on the next step, the roll-out of our commercial operations, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Svilen Rangelov, Co-Founder and CEO of Dronamics.

Standard Bank, the largest bank in Africa by assets, has partnered with DP World, a global leader in supply chain solutions, to offer trade finance solutions jointly with DP World Trade Finance.

This partnership will help in closing the gap in unmet demand for working capital on the continent.

African companies looking for trade finance will now be able to seamlessly access working capital from Standard Bank via the DP World Trade Finance platform.

DP World Trade Finance connects business with financial institutions as a fintech platform while also directly offering trade finance facilities on its own. It offers businesses a single window to access trade finance solutions – customers can simply apply for credit on the digital platform, which will present them with the best options from global financiers who may otherwise be out of their reach. Access to finance is one of the biggest barriers for businesses seeking global trade opportunities, evidenced by the struggle that many businesses face in securing the upfront funds required to move cargo.

By bringing Standard Bank onto the platform, DP World Trade Finance now offers an array of financing solutions to African businesses, which face an ever-growing need for logistics and financial support to connect to global trade routes.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “DP World exists to make the world’s trade flow better and this partnership with Standard Bank is testament to that goal. Africa is a key market for us, with this partnership complementing our ongoing investment and development across the continent. Our recent acquisition of Imperial Logistics allowed us to enhance our logistics capabilities in Africa. With the addition of DP World Trade Finance into our offerings, we aim to support African businesses of all sizes for their working capital needs. Together with Standard Bank, we will help African businesses go from strength to strength and grow their exports to new markets.”

Sinan Ozcan, Senior Executive Officer of DP World Financial Services, said: “Standard Bank joining the DP World Trade Finance platform is great news for businesses across Africa. DP World offers Standard Bank access to data on cargo movements, enabling them to lend with confidence. We in turn plan to co-lend and share risk with Standard Bank on deals made via the platform, whilst Standard Bank will be able to support the many suppliers in DP World’s ecosystem across Africa with its strong financing capabilities. This ecosystem has itself been strengthened by the acquisition of Imperial Logistics by DP World in 2022. Standard Bank’s strong presence across countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique will see this partnership develop further in the African market.”

Kenny Fihla, Chief Executive Officer, Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank, said: “As Standard Bank moves forward with the ambition of becoming a digitally enabled organisation, we seek partnerships with global multinationals like DP World to deliver trade solutions to our clients across the continent. Partnering with DP World allows us to enhance how we facilitate cross-border transactions in growing key trade corridors.”

Dr Rassem Zok, Chief Executive Officer, Middle East and North Africa at Standard Bank, said: “This partnership reflects our strategic vision of driving Africa’s growth. Platform businesses require strong partnerships at various levels of the value chain. The value derived from our shared knowledge, capability and skills will create unique opportunities to deliver financial services and trade solutions to our clients. As Africa’s largest bank, this is a demonstration of our commitment to the transition of financial services to platform-based ecosystems and improving client experiences.”

Since its launch in July 2021, DP World Trade Finance has partnered with 23 financial institutions and generated over $700 million in credit limit submissions. The registration process takes less than five minutes and over 57,000 global clients have already signed up for affordable access to trade finance through the platform. DP World Trade Finance also started directly lending to businesses since 2022.

Every week APM Terminals’ CEO, Keith Svendsen, takes time to acknowledge outstanding work by colleagues in a company-wide message.

Here, we feature one colleague who was singled out for terrific work in a department that's happy to share its ‘trade secrets’ with the entire company. Meet Felecia, one of our Customer Service Heroes at APM Terminals Liberia.

"The ability of our colleagues to turn every interaction into a positive, low-effort experience is a testament to their dedication and skill, and I am proud of their work,” said Svendson recently, and you can tell he really means it.

The teams focus on reducing manual transactions through digitization and automation, resulted in a 97.19% automation rate for invoicing landside customers; ensured that 99% of import shipments were streamlined by the company’s global truck appointment system (TAS); and were the first to launch Care College – the pride of the company’s in-house customer care training - which took place in Monrovia.

In sending his thanks and recognition, as he does every week – and verbally every day - Svendson highlighted the results of Felecia Opoku whose customer feedback rates are nothing less than exceptional. Chalking up a 95% positive feedback rate would make anyone proud, but on hearing that number she furrows her brow. “I was just wondering how I can get to 100%,” she says.

Opoku joined APM Terminals in 2013 as an intern, and after graduating from the Marine Training Institute was offered a role in the operational department. From there she moved to the commercial department in 2017. “Back then, everything at APM Terminals Liberia was done manually,” she recalls. “Payments, receipts, printing invoices, everything was paper and filing. It's hard to imagine the changes we have seen in such a short time. Also, we were almost exclusively talking to customers face to face from the front office,” she says.

While she loves her job and working at the terminal, customer care wasn't what Felecia was trained for. “I trained as an engineer. I was one of the high achievers in my college, and that's one of the reasons I was accepted on the internship with APM Terminals. But I took the opportunities that came to me and that led me to customer care.

Her work ethic is something she attributes to her family. “As a child, when my father asked me or one of my siblings to do something, he expected it to be done. He would not let us shift blame onto someone else or try to get out of doing our chores. He instilled in us the importance of taking ownership and taking responsibility.

"Maybe that's one reason why working as a customer care agent suits me,” she says. “Though it is not the technical role I trained for, it is nonetheless about solving problems. I get to take ownership. When a customer comes to me with an issue, even if it is initially beyond my ability to help, I will find a solution.”

But as any customer care agent knows, daily work isn’t always about high-fives and positive interaction. “Sometimes we have unavoidably disappointed a customer. That's upsetting on both sides. The most important thing is to understand their situation. You need to listen. I give customers

my full and undivided attention. I don't rest until the issue is resolved. Where we can learn and do better, I share those learnings with my teammates, the entire terminal, and the entire company.”

Felecia has taken the APM Terminals Care College training to heart. So much so that she uses the techniques at home. "One of my sons is five and the youngest is just over a year old. They can be boisterous. Every parent knows that stress can be high. But I've found that giving them my full attention really helps. It's no different in work. People can tell if someone is not truly listening to them, and that can lead to frustration. In a busy environment or a noisy office, there can be a lot of distractions. It’s so important to be 100% focused on the conversation you’re having.”

Felecia attributes many of her achievements to her wider team, her training, her manager, and to the implementation of Salesforce which she says has made communication and oversight of customer interactions all the clearer.

As for the future? Felecia says: “I’m happy in my role, I love working with the team here in Monrovia. Being recognized by Keith Svendsen was special. But the most important thing is to maintain achievements and take all the opportunities that come our way.”

In a world marked by rapid change and an unprecedented demand for the safe and efficient transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, Qatar Airways Cargo and Envirotainer are proud to strengthen their strategic ties to deliver an unparalleled customer experience while prioritising sustainability in their operations.

Recognising the pressing need to address environmental concerns, Qatar Airways Cargo and Envirotainer have joined forces to offer a more sustainable solution for shipping temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals to where they are needed most. By capitalising on both organisations’ extensive network capabilities, along with Envirotainer's cutting-edge Releye® solution, CO2 emissions for shipments can be reduced by up to 90% compared to other solutions. The Releye® RLP and RLP solutions also ensure precise temperature control throughout the entire transportation process, meaning this partnership guarantees the utmost integrity and quality of temperature sensitive cargo like never before.

Miguel Rodriguez, Head of Cargo Products at Qatar Airways Cargo said: "I am thrilled to announce the reinforcement of our strategic partnership with Envirotainer, a global leader in temperature-controlled air transportation solutions. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Qatar Airways Cargo as we continue to enhance our capabilities in delivering pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive cargo worldwide. At Qatar Airways Cargo, we understand the criticality of maintaining the cold chain and ensuring that pharmaceuticals reach their destination in optimal conditions. By joining forces with Envirotainer, we can offer our customers seamless access to their industry-leading containers, which are specifically designed to meet the stringent requirements of the pharmaceutical industry.

Commenting on the partnership, Akos Balkanyi, Global Key Account Manager, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "Through the optimisation of our operations and investment in cutting-edge solutions such the Releye® units, we are actively reducing our environmental impact and contributing to a greener future reducing up to 90% our CO2 emissions. We are excited about this collaboration and the positive impact it will have on our customers and the industry as a whole.”

The collaboration between Qatar Airways Cargo and Envirotainer underscores ongoing commitment of both organisations to investing in the latest technologies to meet the needs of the life sciences sector and is poised to make a long-term positive impact on customers and the industry for the future. Both organisations are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, as they work together to ensure the safe transportation of pharmaceuticals and provide reliable and sustainable cold chain solutions that uphold the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency.

DP World and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority have celebrated two historic events – the completion of the Centerm Expansion Project at DP World Vancouver, and the 100th anniversary of the port’s marine terminal operations.

These two events highlight British Columbia’s (BC) ongoing leadership in sustainable trade, technological innovation and introducing Canadian goods to new markets supported by partners such as DP World in Canada.

The 100-year anniversary marks an opportunity to celebrate the ongoing commitment of DP World employees, the ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) – with over 10,000 longshore and foremen employees having worked for DP World in BC over the past 20 years – handling over 20 million loaded twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Along with its partners, DP World is making the global supply chain more resilient, establishing Canada’s leadership in sustainable trade and exporting Canadian goods to global markets.

DP World continues to support and advance the long-term growth of Canada’s ports and terminals, including the Port of Vancouver, through new technologies and commitment to innovation and sustainable trade infrastructure. As the country’s gateway to over 170 trading economies around the world, Vancouver handles one in every $3 of Canada’s trade in goods outside of North America. This enables the trade of approximately $305 billion in goods, while the port’s activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “The 100th anniversary of terminal operations on the west coast is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Canada’s rich maritime and port history and look ahead to a future that includes DP World’s industry-leading technology and innovation in supply chains. It’s also a chance for us, along with our employees and partners, to celebrate a responsible, sustainable, strategic approach to managing Canada’s network of ports and terminals.”

DP World and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority also marked the completion of the Centerm Expansion Project, an AED 954 million (CAD$350 million) award-winning project to increase throughput by 60% and position British Columbia as a leader in sustainable trade.

The newly expanded terminal can now handle 1.5 million TEUs a year, compared to 900,000 TEUs previously, while adding 15% to the terminal’s overall footprint.

The project reduces the terminal’s environmental impact by adding capacity for container ships to connect to electrical shore power and converting its diesel yard cranes to electric. It further reduces greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating wait times for vehicles at train crossings and building to LEED and Envision certification sustainability standards.

“This expansion represents a significant investment in the future of international trade, and we are honoured to continue to play a vital role in connecting Canadian businesses to markets around the world, while contributing to sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all," Bin Sulayem said. The expansion was completed by Centennial Expansion Partners (CXP).

DP World has committed to investing US$500 million globally over the next five years to help cut its carbon emissions by 700,000 tonnes to become a net-zero carbon enterprise by 2050.

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority also completed the South Shore Access Project earlier this month in partnership with the Government of Canada and with funding from the National Trade Corridors Fund. The final part of the South Shore Access Project, including upgrades to Waterfront Road and the removal of road and rail conflicts in the area to connect terminals directly to the Trans-Canada Highway are now complete.

Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said: “Expanding the footprint of the Centerm container terminal and improving road and rail links in the area will increase container trade capacity and resiliency at the Port of Vancouver in the near term”.

He added: “As recent years have shown, a robust container sector is critical for Canadian exports and for reliable access to the goods Canadians depend on every day from markets around the world—and these projects represent an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to enabling Canadian trade. We'd like to thank our project partners including DP World and the federal government for their support and collaboration, as well the local community and south shore tenants for their patience and understanding during construction.”