Wilson Logistics announced it has acquired the shares of Market Transport, a logistics company that serves the truckload market, primarily in the Pacific Northwest and the western United States, from Market Industries, a subsidiary of DSV A/S.
The transaction closed on May 31, 2019. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Springfield, Missouri- based Wilson Logistics is a family-owned asset-based transportation provider offering full truckload, heavy haul, yard management, dedicated, intermodal, power only and brokerage.
Market Transport, based in Portland, Oregon, serves the full-truckload market using contract carriers, exclusive agents, rail carriers and its own fleet.
The acquisition fits into Wilson Logistics’ existing dry van and heavy haul business while adding an intermodal piece the company lacked, said vice president Kameron Wilson.
“It’s a nice expansion of our freight offerings,” he told FreightWaves.
The deal continues a string of acquisitions Wilson Logistics has completed over the past few years, including purchasing the assets of Haney Truckline in 2017, the assets of Jim Palmer Trucking in Missoula, Montana in 2014, O&S Trucking in Springfield, Missouri in 2016, and RJ’s Transportation in Stevensville, Montana in 2017.
“We’ve been growing pretty aggressively,” said Wilson, adding that the company now manages a fleet of 1,000 trucks, compared with 175 in 2014.
Growth is necessary to stay relevant in a rapidly changing marketplace, he said. Another priority is to invest in new fright technologies, including digital brokerage.
Wilson Logistics also operates driver-training programs on-site, matching prospective drivers with a CDL instructor to prepare for the CDL test.
Hindustan Infralog Private Limited (HIPL), a joint venture between DP World and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), has acquired a 76% stake in KRIBHCO Infrastructure Limited (KRIL). The stake was acquired through HIPL’s 90% owned subsidiary, Continental Warehousing Corporation (Nhava Seva) Limited (CWCNSL), while KRIBHCO (Krishak Bharati Cooperative) will continue to retain the remaining 24% shareholding.
KRIL is a multimodal logistics operator in India, founded in 2009, which operates three major inland container depots/private freight terminals at Pali, Haryana; Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh; and Hazira, Griharat. As a result of the KRIL acquisition, HIPL is now one of India’s leading integrated rail terminal and container train operators.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, group Chairman and Chief Executive of DP World, said, “In India, we have made strong progress in building an integrated logistics platform which can deliver a competitive solution to cargo owners and we aim to continue adding scale to our offering to deliver greater efficiencies and value to the trade.”
Chinese manufacturing giant East Hope Group is working with KIZAD on the feasibility of setting up a development worth more than $10 billion (Dh36-billion) at Abu Dhabi’s industrial hub.
The agreement was signed by Samir Chaturvedi, CEO of KIZAD, and Meng Changjun, president of investments, East Hope Group, in the presence of Rashed Matar Alsiri Alqemzi, consul general, United Arab Emirates Consulate General in Shanghai and Yongxing Liu, chairman of East Hope Group.
Under this agreement, the two entities are looking into a possible 15-year, three-phase plan to develop 7.6 square kilometers of land at KIZAD.
In phase one of the proposed project, East Hope would develop an alumina facility, while the second phase would include a red mud research center and recycling project. The final phase of the project would see large-scale upstream and downstream non-ferrous metal processing facilities.
As part of the agreement, KIZAD would support East Hope Group by ensuring the best utility prices, acquiring the land, creating a masterplan and handling the import of raw materials through Khalifa Port, and storage.
The agreement also includes exploring options for the sustainable generation of energy and a sustainability program to preserve the environment, including the research center.
East Hope Group, which is headquartered in Shanghai, is the latest Chinese firm to invest in KIZAD.
Meanwhile, the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone, which was established in conjunction with Jiangsu Overseas Cooperation Investment Co. Ltd. (JOCIC), has already attracted the interest of 19 Chinese firms since it was set up last year.
After making history at Port Khalifa, Cosco Shipping’s Solar container ship has docked in Dammam’s King Abdul Aziz Port, becoming the largest container ship ever to make port in Saudi Arabia.
Solar is 400 meters long, 59 meters wide and has a draft of 16 meters, but what makes it a record-breaker is its immense cargo capacity of 21,300 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit).
Waleed Al-Faris, director-general of King Abdul Aziz Port said the ship’s arrival was proof that the Dammam facility was a global logistics destination.
“King Abdul Aziz Port can handle any type of cargo with its diverse capabilities and solid infrastructure,” he said. “It has four terminals operated by the best in class port operation companies.”
The port includes two container terminals. The first, operated by the International Port Services Co., has a capacity of 2.5 million TEU and a 16-meter depth with 10 berths totalling 2,160 meters in length. It has 17 bridge cranes, five of which are operated remotely.
The second terminal, operated by the Saudi Global Ports Co., has a capacity of 1.5 million TEU with two berths totaling 700 meters in length and a 16.5-meter depth. It is equipped with six bridge cranes and has an additional 600,000 sq. meter area. The terminals are supported by a large number of mobile stackers and container cranes.
Earlier this year, the port welcomed CSCL Globe, which, at the time of its launch in November 2014, was the largest container ship in the world, with a capacity of 19,100 TEU.
Gulf Worldwide Logistics is benefitting from its expansion in Jebel Ali Freezone, with the logistics infrastructure now to offer an entire facilities purely for non-hazardous chemical products, such as cleaning materials.
“Due to numerous years of handling these products, we have the skills required to manage the entire 3PL Supply Chain of distribution for clients engaged in this industry,” the company says.
This was made possible by the launch of its JAFZA – South Zone 2 warehouse, which compliments its existing facilities in South Zone 1 and the North Zone.
Located adjacent to GWL Facility South Zone 1, it provides easy access and shared resources to offer customers a complete 3PL solution in one vicinity.
“The 7,000 sqm closed warehouse space, has 3,000sqm that are temperate controlled,” GWL says of the facilities. “The temperature controlled portion of the facility is regularised at +18-22 degree celsius range.”
The facility is equipped to accommodate rack (palletized) cargo and bulk (non-palletized) cargo.
Through its range of infrastructure in Jebel Ali, GWL is able to handle all manner of 3PL goods, from FMCG products such as food and beverage and retail to electronics and building materials.
A decade ago, in June 2009, the airline’s first flight took off from Dubai International bound for Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Since then, the airline has ferried more than 70 million passengers.
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, a special flight took off from Dubai International on June 1, 2019 at 12.20 local time and was met with a celebratory water cannon salute upon arrival in Beirut. On board were passengers who had flown on flydubai’s first flight.
Commenting on the 10th anniversary of the start of flydubai’s operations, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of flydubai, said, “For many years the Government of Dubai recognized the need for another carrier to serve our country. In 2009, we were able to achieve this thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”
“flydubai was launched with a mandate to open new markets and make travel more accessible to more people. I am happy to see flydubai deliver on that commitment which has seen the airline connect 71 previously underserved cities to Dubai allowing a population of 1.5 billion easier access to one of the world’s leading aviation hubs.”
Sheikh Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, said, “The success of the national carriers has contributed significantly to further cementing the UAE’s prominent position on the global aviation scene. flydubai, which celebrates its tenth anniversary, is one of the important components in the aviation sector and was able to break through the competition as an affordable travel provider. flydubai continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening the UAE’s ties with several important markets, thus enhancing the trade and tourism potential in the region and supporting the growth of the economy,” added Al Mansouri.
As the fastest growing brand among the global air cargo carriers with its extensive flights network, Turkish Cargo included Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO), known as being the most important airport in Russia in terms of cargo activities, to its direct cargo flight destinations network.
Located just 30 km far away from the capital Moscow, the area is considered an important export and import center in Russia. The accomplished air cargo brand will carry many export products especially automotive accessories and raw oil materials originating from Russia, as well as many import products such as textile products, electronics and vegetables-fruits to be sent to Russia, through its new destination.
Our flights to Khimki with an exports and imports marketplace for Turkey, the USA and Europe especially the Far East will be performed by means of A330-200F freighters on Wednesdays on Istanbul (ISL) – Moscova (SVO) line as of June 12.
Reaching 124 countries thanks to its extensive flight network covering 88 direct cargo flight destinations and more than 300 destinations, Turkish Cargo achieves a sustainable growth with its infrastructure, operational capabilities, fleet and team of leading experts, and keeps being a preferred brand in air cargo transportation.
UAE-based airlines have continued to operate normally even after the United States issued an air safety warning regarding ‘heightened’ military activities in the Middle East.
Etihad Airways, Emirates and flydubai told a local newspaper that they have not made any changes to their flight plans, although they are keeping a close watch of the situation.
The United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has advised all American airlines to ‘exercise caution’ when operating over the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It said that due to increased activities of armed forces, as well as political tensions, in the area, some civilian aircraft could be misidentified.
The security alert was addressed to all American carriers and operators. Domestic airlines contacted by local newspaper said they are aware of the FAA warning and that they are in touch with the local civil aviation authority and other authorities in the field.
“At this time, there are no changes to our flight operations. We are in close contact with the relevant authorities in the UAE and internationally and are monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesperson for Emirates said.
The airline assured that the safety of its operations remains its ‘utmost priority’ and that it ‘will never be compromised’.
Etihad, for its part, said they are closely coordinating with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and air navigation service providers globally. “We continue to operate normally, however, [we] are closely monitoring the situation.”
At flydubai, a spokesperson said, pilots continue to follow internationally approved flight paths. “We are aware of the notice and we will continue to monitor the situation and comply with any directives issued by our regulator, GCAA,” the airline said.
Other non-UAE airlines have also shared a similar response.
Concerns started to emerge about the situation in the region since the US deployed warships and bombers to the area.
On May 12, four commercial cargo ships were subjected to sabotage operations near UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of Fujairah.
About two days later, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Khalid Al Falih, confirmed that two oil pumping stations had been attacked by explosive-laden drones.
For the second year in a row, Emirates SkyCargo, is partnering with Gargash, one of the largest distributors of premium and luxury cars in the UAE to transport cars for the Gumball 3000 motor rally, an annual celebrity event that raises money for charity. Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo and Shehab Gargash, Managing Director & Group CEO, Gargash Group signed the partnership agreement.
Emirates SkyCargo is set to transport four Mercedes Benz AMG GT63 4 Door cars from Dubai to the Gumball rally and back. The cars will travel on a Boeing 777 freighter from Dubai World Central. Emirates SkyCargo’s Boeing 777 freighter aircraft can carry cargo up to 100 tons and are capable of accommodating wide or oversized cargo thanks to wide main deck doors.
“This is the second year that we are working with Gargash to transport cars for the Gumball 3000 rally. We had a successful collaboration last year, which helped us showcase Emirates Wheels, our specialized product for transporting automobiles, to a large audience in the UAE as well as the rest of the world. We look forward to offering our First Class treatment to the Team Gargash cars participating in this year’s rally,” said Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo.
Emirates SkyCargo regularly transports high value and unique automobiles on both its passenger and freighter aircraft across a global network spanning six continents. The transportation of the vehicles is managed under Emirates Wheels, which brings together Emirates SkyCargo’s state of the art infrastructure and expertise, including trained and experienced staff to manage the loading and unloading of the cars from the aircraft. During the last financial year, Emirates SkyCargo transported more than 1,050 luxury cars through Emirates Wheels.
Etihad Airways PJSC has acquired the shares held by Armaguard Linfox Group Pty (Australia) in Abu Dhabi-based joint venture Armaguard Valuables Management LLC (AVM), becoming sole shareholder of the company and renaming it Etihad Secure Logistics Services LLC.
In the six years since it began operations, AVM has successfully grown from a start-up to become a major player in the UAE secure logistics and valuables management market.
With increasing opportunities in their respective markets, both Etihad and Armaguard have agreed now is the right time for the business to operate as a full subsidiary of Etihad Airways as part of Etihad’s expanding cargo and logistics portfolio.
Gary Allen, Linfox Armaguard Group CEO comments, “The Armaguard Group is concentrating on continuing to strengthen the existing businesses in Australia and New Zealand while enhancing our services across South East Asia, and as such will withdraw from the UAE.”
“Etihad and Armaguard have shared a long history of working together to provide the best solutions for our customers. We will continue as a strong network alliance, servicing the global valuables market. We will continue to work together to ensure a seamless transition for our customers.”
Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, Managing Director Cargo and Logistics Services at Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We would like to express our gratitude to Linfox Armaguard for their partnership and support these past years. We are now in a position, with Etihad Secure Logistics operating as a wholly Etihad-owned business, to better support the home market in its next phase of growth and development.
This comes with increased investment in the valuables transportation and logistics segments, as well as the banking and financial services sectors in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, complimenting the wider cargo and logistics offering at Etihad.”
Etihad has appointed Vincent Hampton as Managing Director of Etihad Secure Logistics. As a member of the extended Etihad Cargo leadership team, he will be responsible to lead and execute the company’s new strategic vision.
Hampton brings a wealth of experience across various sectors as a management and security specialist, having held various roles with the United States Air Force and the US Department of State in Abu Dhabi, and a decade of leadership roles in security consulting within the UAE private sector.
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