Global round up

Ford has set up a parts distribution centre at the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that will be operated by Rudolph Logistics Group & Hellmann Automotive. The carmaker is reported to have invested $53m in the 29,500m2 depot, which will handle 50,000 individual parts with an estimated $43m inventory value.

 

The aim of the new development is to centralise the supply of Ford replacement and service parts in the Middle Eastern region. The location will reduce customer waiting times for service parts, with delivery to the region reduced to as little as two days said the company. The goods themselves will arrive bundled as sea and airfreight consignments from the central Ford warehouses in North America, Europe and Asia.

 

Bernd Oevermann, global director Hellmann Automotive Logistics, confirmed: “The award of the Ford Motor Company contract is indeed a major milestone in our automotive development.”

 

Dealers in 11 different countries in the Middle East will be able to access a range of spare parts from auto-body parts to spark plugs including those in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, among others.

A new ruling on US truck driver working hours by the US Department of Transport (DOT), due to go into effect in July 2013, will reduce by 12 hours the maximum number of hours a driver can work within a week. The new rule now limits a driver’s working week to 70 hours.

 

The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has also revised the hours of service rule to stipulate that truck drivers cannot drive after working eight hours without first taking a break of at least 30 minutes.

 

“Trucking is a difficult job and a big rig can be deadly when a driver is tired and overworked,” said transportation secretary Ray LaHood. “This final rule will help prevent fatigue-related truck crashes and save lives. Truck drivers deserve a work environment that allows them to perform their jobs safely.”

 

The final rule retains the current 11-hour daily driving limit but requires truck drivers who maximize their weekly work hours to take at least two nights’ rest when sleep is most important – between 1.00am and 5.00am.

 

Companies that allow drivers to exceed the 11-hour driving limit by three or more hours could face fines of up to $11,000 per offence, with drivers themselves could face civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each breach of the rule.

 

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has announced it will become a worldwide sponsor of the Savannah Ocean Exchange (SOE), a cross-disciplinary network of organisations concerned with ocean conservation, to extend the reach of Orcelle Grants.

 

The WWL Orcelle Grants are aimed at making shipping and logistics more sustainable according to the company and reflect WWL's own research and development into the E/S Orcelle, a zero-emissions concept vessel. The aim is to support innovative ideas for zero-emissions marine transport and to develop the energy-efficient technologies which hold the promise of future commercial viability.

 

“The Savannah Ocean Exchange "Leap for Zero+" theme is a perfect fit with the global zero emission ambition we have for our operations. Together with the SOE, we can progress further and faster in promoting and developing environmentally and economically sustainable solutions for shipping,” stated WWL’s president and CEO, Arild B. Iversen.

 

For the 2012 WWL Orcelle Grant, an international “Call for Solutions” will be issued in the first quarter of 2012 seeking proactive, innovative, scalable and economically productive solutions that accelerate the timeline of reaching ZERO+.

 

To learn more about the call for submissions and the review process visit http://www.savannahoceanexchange.org.

 

Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers (ARRC) is launching a direct service between the port of Tampa in Florida, US and the port of Saint Petersburg in Russia.

 

The monthly service will begin with the arrival of ARRC’s vessel Baltic Mercur in Tampa on January 14th, operating between the US Gulf (Houston), Tampa and Saint Petersburg.

 

Transit time between Tampa and Saint Petersburg is 18 days and the service is open for containerised, ro-ro and break bulk cargoes, including heavy and outsize loads.

 

ARRC transports a range of rolling stock eastbound including passenger cars and trucks, as well as agricultural, construction, oilfield, drilling and mining equipment.

 

Currently, the company’s fleet comprises eight multi-purpose ice-class L-2 vessels (six lo-ro and two ro-ro ships) with a total carrying capacity of over 1.5m tons a year.