Logistics & Shipping News

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] named Nagpur city, located in the State of Maharashtra in central India, as the location for its planned regional maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility.
"We believe that Nagpur will be an excellent location for the Boeing MRO facility because of the tremendous investment being made in the area by both government and private companies," said Dinesh Keskar, vice president of Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Boeing is committed to helping strengthen India's air transport infrastructure by investing up to $100 million in this MRO facility."

Due to the lack of U.S. government orders for the C-17 military cargo aircraft, The Boeing Company is directing program suppliers to stop work on uncommitted airplanes. This move will be the first step in an orderly shut down of the production supply chain should no further orders be received from the U.S. government.

Bombardier Aerospace announced  the appointment of Pierre Gabriel Côté as President, Bombardier Business Aircraft effective July 10, 2006.  Mr. Côté will head the Business Aircraft leadership team responsible for profit, cost, quality and customer management from order to delivery of Bombardier business aircraft.

BRO DESIGNER has been delivered from the Chinese yard Jinling Shipyard, Nanjing. BRO DESIGNER is the first sister vessel to BRO DELIVERER, which was named "Ship of the Year" by Lloyd’s List earlier this year.

BRO DESIGNER, which is a 14,500 dwt product tanker, is the second one of Broström’s four new D-class vessels. The remaining two vessels will follow in 2006. After her delivery from Southeast Asia BRO DESIGNER will be serving under Broström’s cargo contracts with the major oil companies in the European trade.

AS VEGAS – The need to improve railroad security was once again a key topic here for delegates attending the BLET’s First Quadrennial Convention.  Yesterday, Teamsters General President James Hoffa addressed delegates regarding the need to boost railroad security in the current era of terrorist threats to the United States.

Biendong Shipping Company and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced the launch of the new joint container service (VSS) linking Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. VSS shall deploy two of 610 TEU container vessels, one operated by BIENDONG and the other by MOL. These vessels are newly built by Vinashin Shipyard in 2006 with GL class and owned by BIENDONG.

Bombardier Aerospace announced  that Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) has been selected to provide a Total Support Program (TSP) for worldwide operators of the Bombardier CRJ family of 50- to 90-seat regional jets. LHT, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, is the world’s largest provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services and is also an approved overhaul facility for Bombardier CRJ aircraft components.

Concludes Commercial Production in California
 Boeing delivered its final two 717 airplanes to Midwest Airlines and AirTran Airways in a ceremony before thousands of employees, retirees and dignitaries in Long Beach, Calif. The deliveries conclude commercial airplane production in Southern California that began in the 1920s with the Douglas Aircraft Co.

Following a strategic review of its services, BA World Cargo is this week announcing its new schedule, effective from 1 June 2006.  In a bid to address the eastern trade imbalance - an issue for many carriers - BA World Cargo will be increasing rotations from Europe and India with a twice weekly Hong Kong service, routing via Delhi and Frankfurt and a weekly Hong Kong service via Frankfurt.