News bulletin – tanks and logistics

NEWS BULLETIN

TANKS & LOGISTICS

SWEET FOR STOLT

Stolt Tank Containers (STC) has reported third-quarter operating profit of $24.7m, almost double that of the previous quarter and well up on the $17.5m posted for the same period last year. The increase was partly due to an improvement in rates, up 12.6 per cent compared to the prior quarter, and a substantial 45 per cent increase in demurrage revenue driven by port congestion, operational delays and other supply chain disruptions.

“Stolt Tank Containers’ markets continue to show strength with rising freight rates and higher demurrage revenue compensating for the rising costs,” notes Niels G Stolt-Nielsen, CEO of parent company Stolt-Nielsen Ltd. “Even though we are operating under very challenging circumstances due to tight ocean liner capacity, a shortage of truck drivers and port congestion, we are able to pass on the additional costs and improve margin per shipment.” www.stolttankcontainers.com

RHENUS ADDS IN INDIA

Rhenus has opened a new multi-user chemical warehouse in Chennai, India, with 10,200 m2 of storage space. The facility, approved by India’s Pollution Control Board, has good links to nearby ports and industrial hubs and will serve as the main Rhenus distribution location for chemical customers throughout southern India.

“The new warehouse, built with world-class Rhenus infrastructure, is our latest step in offering broad-based logistics support in India,” says Marcus Fornell, director of contract logistics at Rhenus India. “By offering safe and reliable storage of general and chemical cargo, we are confident to provide well-managed and tailor-made storage solutions for our customers and continue to maintain our leadership position in handling chemical logistics.” www.rhenus.group

MILKYWAY INTO SHANGHAI

Milkyway Chemical Supply Chain Service has acquired Shanghai Ling Xing Hazardous Chemicals Logistics, which operates a significant chemical logistics facility in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Zone. The acquisition plugs a gap in Milkyway’s service offering in the Zone, which is home to a wide range of international chemical manufacturers.

Shanghai Ling Xing was founded in 2009 as part of the Bailian Group and offers bulk storage, packaging and transport of dangerous goods. It has 1,460 m2 of Class A warehouse space, 9,900 m3 of storage tank capacity and six drumming lines, with an annual design throughput of 137,600 tonnes. www.mwclg.com

BIG JOB DONE

Jobachem has completed the expansion of its chemical warehouse in Dassel, in the German region of Lower Saxony. The €2m investment has added 1,800 m2 of impermeable concrete flooring and a covered area for the filling, refilling and mixing of hazardous chemicals. The site now offers some 8,500 m2 of storage for chemicals, which responds to increasing demand for such capacity in the region while also allowing the company to respond to customer-specific requirements. jobachem.de

FREEDOM FOR OURAY

Ouray Environmental has partnered with Freedom Intermodal Tank Services to expand the latter’s transloading capabilities at its New Orleans facility to include regulated and hazardous materials. The partnership will allow Freedom to offer a wide range of liquids and gas transfer operations, including drums, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), tank containers, road tankers, rail tank cars and barges.

Freedom’s site offers multi-line rail access, direct water access to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico, and more than 60 rail tank car loading locations. “Our partnership with Ouray will provide real solutions to the ongoing driver shortage our industry is facing,” says Jeff Louis, president/CEO of Freedom’s owner, TCI Tank Logistics. “Bringing our clients’ cargo closer to the end user will maximise driver productivity

and allow for more efficient movement of goods. Expanding on our service offering to include regulated/hazardous materials will provide more value-add opportunities for the bulk liquid industry. Our clients are searching for answers, and we believe the multimodal access that is available at Freedom is the answer.”

J Aaron Montgomery, president/CEO of Ouray, adds: “These new services will assist our chemical shipping customers with their domestic logistical challenges and open new export and import markets for their commodities. We are very excited about this new partnership with Freedom and how it advances Ouray’s goal to provide our clients with comprehensive solutions to their most difficult problems.” www.ourayservices.com

A FLEET FOR ASIA

Suttons International has established a dedicated shortsea tank container fleet for Asia, following the trend towards more regionalised supply chains and the shortage of shipping capacity. The Asia Short Sea initiative operates between the main markets in the region: China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. Suttons reports that the fleet was put into service over the past four months and is already fully utilised, with additional tanks to be added in the near future.

“As part of the initiative we have been able to add significant value to new and existing customers by concentrating on dedicated loops to assuring continuity of supply,” Suttons explains. “We have been able to support some of our key Japanese clients by shipping tanks on a round trip basis from Japan to China and as a result have prevented plant shutdowns for these customers.” www.suttonsgroup.com

CHEMICAL EXPRESS EXPANDS

Chemical Express has taken delivery of 15 new Iveco S-Way tractor units to complement its existing fleet. The new vehicles will be used to haul chemicals and hazardous liquids throughout Europe, in particular in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

“Our company pays particular attention to the search of high innovative transport solutions; with this in mind, we evaluated the new Iveco S-Way extremely interesting thanks to the greater connectivity,” says Vicenzo Romano, director of Chemical Express.

This is the first time that Chemical Express has chosen Iveco trucks. Romano notes: “The support of the Socom Nuova dealership, through the work of Carmine Ceglia, was also indispensable in choosing the vehicles most in line with our transport and outfitting needs. And – why not? – the fact that it is an Italian company led us to take this step.” www.chemicalexpress.it

MORE TANKS FOR RAFFLES

Raffles Lease is expanding its fleet of largecapacity swap body tank containers, offering the lowest possible tare weight. The tanks are fitted with V-shaped baffles, cleaning hatches, insulation heating coils and Europeanmanufactured valves. They also have additional safety features, including ground level-operated airline/vapour return valves, full coverage walkways and a collapsible handrail. raffleslease.com

A LEGEND IN CHINA

Legend Logistics has opened a new office in Shanghai as part of its ongoing efforts to expand its reach in the Asia-Pacific region. The new office provides logistics solutions for bulk liquid chemicals, consumer perishables and dry bulk commodities. It also offers agency services for tank container and container shipping.

“With China being one of our key markets, the Shanghai office will enable us to further strengthen our capabilities in the Far East region by leveraging our global network and reliable logistics services,” the company states.

Singapore-headquartered Legend has offices in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and the Netherlands, as well as China. legendlogisticsltd.com