[270720.EN.SEA] Hapag-Lloyd Sells 7 Ships in Leaseback Deal To Increase Liquidity

GERMAN container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd has sold seven 9,326 TEU container ships to China's Bank of Communications Financial Leasing (Bocomm Leasing) for an undisclosed price.

It's understands that the en bloc sale for the vessels, Cauquenes, Cautin, Cisnes, Cochrane, Coyhaique, Corcovado and Copiapo, was agreed early in May 2020 and July, the vessels were re-registered to special purpose vehicles owned by Bocomm Leasing.

At the time of the sale, each vessel had a market valuation of around US$74 million, according to brokers, reports Container News, Jacksonville.

The ships, operated by Hapag-Lloyd's Chilean subsidiary Compania Sudamericana de Vapores (CSAV) on Asia-South America services, were built by Samsung Heavy Industries between 2014 and 2015.

A spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd said that the German liner operator is leasing back all the vessels. "As part of our 'Performance Safeguarding Programme', we were able to get these ships into extremely attractive financing and generated a good amount of liquidity. The ships are leased back by us on a long-term charter and can be taken over again by us at the end of the lease term."

The lease duration for these vessels has been agreed at 12 years.

Hapag-Lloyd's Performance Safeguarding Programme, launched this year in response to the pandemic, consists of cost-saving measures to tackle the impact on cargo volumes. Additionally, the company wants to secure liquidity and re-evaluate investment plans.

Despite the challenging situation facing liner operators, Bocomm Leasing has been acquiring container ships since the start of 2020.

In June, the Chinese finance lessor acquired five 12,690 TEU ships from Greek tonnage provider Costamare; In March, Bocomm Leasing purchased four 11,923 TEU ships from Canadian owner Seaspan Corporation. During the same month, Bocomm Leasing acquired two 9,954 TEU ships and two 8,204 TEU ships from Navios Maritime, which were chartered to Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM unit ANL.

Source : HKSG / Photo : Baltic Shipping.

[270720.ID.BIZ] WHO: Pandemi Corona Adalah Darurat Kesehatan Global Terburuk Yang Pernah Kami Hadapi

KONTAN.CO.ID - JENEWA. Pandemi virus corona baru yang telah menginfeksi lebih dari 16 juta orang dengan mudah adalah darurat kesehatan global terburuk yang pernah Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia (WHO) hadapi

Hanya dengan kepatuhan yang ketat pada langkah-langkah kesehatan, mulai memakai masker hingga menghindari keramaian, WHO menyatakan, dunia bisa mengalahkan pandemi virus corona.

"Langkah-langkah (ketat) ini diikuti, kasus (virus corona) turun. Kalau tidak, kasus naik," kata Direktur Jendral WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Senin (27/7), seperti dikutip Reuters.

Tedros memuji Kanada, China, Jerman, dan Korea Selatan yang berhasil mengendalikan wabah virus corona.

Kebangkitan virus corona di berbagai wilayah, termasuk di negara-negara yang mengira mereka telah mengendalikan penyakit Covid-19, sangat mengkhawatirkan dunia, dengan kematian mendekati 650.000.

Kepala Program Kedaruratan WHO Mike Ryan mengatakan, jauh lebih penting dari definisi gelombang kedua, puncak baru, dan kluster lokal adalah kebutuhan bagi negara-negara di seluruh dunia untuk menjaga pembatasan yang ketat seperti jarak fisik.

"Yang jelas adalah tekanan pada virus mendorong angka-angka turun. Lepaskan tekanan itu dan kasus-kasus merayap naik," ujarnya seperti dilansir Reuters, yang mengakui, bagaimanapun, hampir tidak mungkin bagi negara-negara untuk menutup perbatasan di masa mendatang.

"Kita harus menekan penularan tetapi pada saat yang sama kita harus mengidentifikasi kelompok-kelompok rentan dan menyelamatkan nyawa, menjaga tingkat kematian jika mungkin menjadi nol, jika tidak seminimal mungkin," imbuh Tedros.

Dia memuji Jepang dan Australia yang sukses menekan angka kematian akibat virus corona.

Sumber : Kontan, 27.07.2020.

[260720.EN.BIZ] E-commerce Continues To Be Hurt by Indonesia's Pandemic Restrictions

E-COMMERCE platforms continue to take a hit from the social restrictions imposed by Indonesia because of the Covid-19 pandemic, reports the Jakarta Post.

The enforcement has hit a variety of cities and doesn't have a clear future of an endpoint, making e-commerce and logistic firms worried about their delivery systems.

"The problem is there are different types of restrictions in each area, which confuse our third-party logistics partners. Thus, communication with our customers is critical when the situation is very unpredictable," said Tokopedia vice president Rudy Dalimunthe.

Mr Dalimunthe said Tokopedia has received a 40 per cent increase in complaints since the start of the pandemic in January. Since the pandemic has greatly hindered shipping deliveries, the two are clearly correlated.

The pandemic has also caused most consumers to shop online, forcing a more significant burden on companies like Tokopedia. Indonesia's e-commerce sector is expected to see a 50 per cent growth valued at US$35 billion.

Each regional, city, and provincial administration in Indonesia have different levels of restrictions that are colour-coded in green, yellow, orange, and red.

"Jakarta's policy is different from Central Java. Local governments are implementing restrictions in certain areas that cause disruptions to delivery services," said Mr Dalimunthe.

Other than the confusion over local restrictions, consumers are shipping perishable goods, which are susceptible to delays.

"We have seen a seismic change in consumer behaviour in our same-day intercity logistics service. The food category has jumped 45 percentage points since March and is still rising," said Paxel co-founder Zaldy Masita.

At the same time, major airlines have to ground airlines, which is terrible for Paxel since they rely heavily on air cargo. Indonesia's domestic and international air freight volume dropped 39 per cent below the monthly average in March due to aircraft grounding.

"Roadblocks and air cargo disruptions have affected our deliveries, and we have seen a three-fold jump in queries and complaints between March and May," said Mr Masita.

Although the complaints are an adverse concern, both Paxel and Tokopedia feel fortunate over the increase in customers.

"I think we could expect more demand for intercity same-day shipping services, with more second-tier cities as destinations. We are also still looking at more food product deliveries," said Mr Masita.

Source : HKSG.

[260720.ID.BIZ] Ekonomi Berantakan, Boeing Tunda Peluncuran Pesawat 777X

KONTAN.CO.ID - PARIS. Boeing Co dikabarkan sedang dalam proses untuk melakukan penundaan jet terbaru 777X selama beberapa bulan atau hingga satu tahun. Melansir artikel Reuters, Sabtu (25/7) hal ini terpaksa dilakukan lantaran krisis Covid-19 terus memperburuk ekonomi dan berdampak pada penurunan permintaan.

Boeing berharap untuk membawa jet ke pasar karena jumlah penumpang saat ini mulai bangkit setelah sebelumnya anjlok akibat pandemi. Perusahaan juga berharap perang dagang antara Washington dan Beijing bisa diredam lantaran China merupakan pasar yang penting bagi industri penerbangan.

Akan tetapi, hal ini bisa saja membuka risiko baru bagi Boeing, seperti kehilangan perhatian dan momentum teknik sekaligus bakal diperketatnya pengawasan dari Administrasi Penerbangan Federal AS (US Federal Aviation) selama proses sertifikasi yang bakal memakan waktu bertahun-tahun.

keterlambatan ini juga berpotensi menyebabkan masalah dalam rantai pasok Boeing. Pengumuman ini antara lain baru akan digaungkan pada pekan depan, ketika Boeing mempublikasikan laporan keuangan.

Boeing menolak mengomentari kapan 777X akan diluncurkan. Hanya saja, bisa dipastikan bahwa jet model terbaru ini sedang melanjutkan uji terbang. "Kami sedang bekerjasama dengan pelanggan kami di seluruh dunia, di saat mereka terus beradaptasi dengan situasi Covid-19 yang terus berkembang," kata perusahaan.

Boeing pun tengah berupaya untuk merampungkan pembuatan 777X, versi yang lebih besar dari 777 mini-jumbo, ke tangan pelanggan pada tahun 2021. Rencana ini sudah berjalan setahun lebih lambat dari yang semula dijadwalkan setelah mengalami hambatan produksi mesin dari General Electric GE9X.

Saat ini Boeing sedang bersiap untuk menunda peluncuran sekitar satu tahun, menurun dua orang yang mengetahui hal ini. Namun, diperkirakan Boeing akan mendorong penjualan secara masif pada tahun 2022-2023 mendatang. "Ada begitu pesawat berbadan lebar yang pensiun. Jika perjalanan udara kembali ke level 2019, akan banyak pesawat baru yang dibutuhkan," kata salah satu sumber.

777X sendiri akan menjadi jet besar pertama yang disertifikasi setelah perangkat lunak pada pesawat seri 737 MAS memicu dua kecelakaan fatal dan membuat hubungan antara Boeing dan regulator menjadi tidak nyaman.

Sumber : Kontan, 26.07.2020.

[250720.EN.AIR] Volga-Dnepr, Geodis Flies 400 Million Medical Masks From Shenzhen to Paris

RUSSIAN airline Volga-Dnepr has teamed up French forwarding giant Geodis to complete 48 flights in 90 days flying 400 million Chinese medical masks to France, reports London's Air Cargo News.

The operation lasted from April to June due to France's need for facemasks and other equipment in the pandemic. The flights were done by the huge An-124 air transport.

The deliveries were done as part of the government's Pont Aerien Francais, as contracted by the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health.

The flights came from Shenzhen and landed in Paris-Vatry airport, with the first flight landing on March 30. After three months, the operation concluded.

Volga-Dnepr reported problems such as crew quarantine restrictions, congestion at Chinese airport terminals and pressure on Chinese export traffic.

"The teamwork between Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Geodis ensured that all challenges were overcome and cargo was delivered exactly on time every time," said the airline.

A flight landed every 48 hours, which resulted in 400 million face masks being delivered, as well as surgical gowns and various other equipment.

"By the end of the programme, the giant airlift capabilities of Volga-Dnepr's An-124 fleet had transported nearly 30,000 cubic metres of protective medical equipment from southern China," said the airline.

Said Geodis vice president Stanislas Brun: "Geodis has been working with the Volga-Dnepr group for many projects in the past, and the airline is now one of Geodis' air direct main partners,"

Said Volga-Dnepr's humanitarian affairs chief Stuart Smith: "Given its size, frequency, and the epidemiological factors that our operating crews and all stakeholders have faced, the fact that we were able to deliver all 48 flights exactly on schedule is a testament to the hard work and huge intra-team co-operation between Geodis, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, Vatry airport, and Shenzhen airport."

Source : HKSG.

[250720.ID.BIZ] Ini Cara Top Up Kartu Tol Dengan Whatsapp

KONTAN.CO.ID - Jakarta. Top up atau isi ulang saldo kartu tol semakin mudah. Dengan menggunakan aplikasi Whatsapp, Anda bisa top up kartu tol. 

Pengelola Jalan Tol Makassar, PT Bosowa Marga Nusantara (BMN) dan PT Jalan Tol Seksi Empat (JTSE) yang merupakan anak usaha dari PT Margautama Nusantara (MUN) meresmikan sistem pengisian ulang (top up) uang elektronik (Unik) melalui aplikasi Whatsapp mulai Jumat, 24 Juli 2020.

Direktur utama PT Bosowa Marga Nusantara (BMN) dan PT Jalan Tol Seksi Empat (JTSE) Anwar Toha mengatakan, sistem ini merupakan layanan pertama yang diaplikasikan di jalan tol dan Tol Makassar menjadi BUJT pertama yang menyediakan fasilitas ini. "Para pengguna jalan tol yang kehabisan saldo tidak perlu khawatir karena dengan cara yang cepat dan praktis, mereka dapat melakukan pengisian kartu tol dengan mudah dimanapun dan kapanpun," kata Anwar, Jumat (24/7).

Sebelumnya, manajemen Tol Makassar telah menerapkan pembayaran tol secara elektronik sejak November 2018. Manajemen Tol Makassar tadinya telah menyediakan layanan pengisian kartu di gerbang tol maupun posko pelayanan top up yang tersebar di pintu-pintu masuk tol. Namun, di tengah pandemi Covid 19, pertukaran uang kartal melalui transaksi tunai merupakan salah satu sumber transmisi dari penularan virus Covid-19.

Dus manajemen Tol Makassar memberikan solusi dengan menyediakan layanan pengisian Unik melalui sistem pembayaran non tunai atau cashless. Fasilitas ini dapat digunakan untuk seluruh pengguna IOS dan Android.

Manajemen Tol Makassar berkolaborasi dengan berbagai mitra perbankan yakni Bank Mandiri dan Bank BNI untuk mempermudah para pengguna tol dalam bertransaksi. Khusus untuk Bank BRI dan Bank BCA, layanan top up melalui WhatsApp ini baru dapat digunakan pada bulan Agustus 2020.

Pengisian ulang uang elektronik via WhatsApp saat ini hanya dapat dilakukan untuk jenis kartu E-Money dan Tapcash. Para pengguna jalan yang ingin melakukan top up uang elektronik via WhatsApp dapat mengikuti beberapa langkah mudah berikut ini:

1.    Scan QR Code yang tertera pada gardu dan palang di Seluruh Gerbang Tol Makassar atau simpan nomor WhatsApp ini 0811-7155-777 dikontak Anda.

2.    Klik start.

3.    Pilih top up kartu.

4.    Untuk top up kartu tol harap memasukkan nomor yang tertera pada kartu.

5.    Transaksi dapat dilakukan melalui transfer bank, OVO dan Aplikasi Isiin Aja.

6.    Update saldo E-Money (Bank Mandiri) dapat dilakukan melalui Aplikasi Isiin Aja (download pada play store), sedangkan saldo TapCash (BNI) dapat di update melalui aplikasi TapCash Go (download pada play store), atau ATM/EDC bank yang bersangkutan.

Tidak hanya top up Unik saja, layanan transaksi melalui aplikasi WhatsApp ini juga dapat digunakan untuk bertransaksi dalam hal membeli pulsa, membayar tagihan listrik, tagihan telepon, tagihan TV Kabel, PDAM, dan tagihan BPJS.

Sumber : Kontan, 25.07.2020.

[240720.EN.BIZ] Trans China Railway Unites Lines to Feed China-EU Block Trains

CHINESE railways, that span much of the vast interior of the country, have combined into a national network called the Trans China Railway (TCR).

Individually and collectively, the many rail lines act as feeder routes to funnel to China's vast hinterland production to Europe via an increasingly popular block trains through Kazakhstan and points west.

The TCR now connects Urumqi, Alaskan, Horgos, and Kazakhstan's border region, Dostik, and Atinkol, across the Chinese continent from the northeast to Harbin and Manzouli on the Outer Mongolian borders.

The starting point for cargo could be as far away as the Seojung Logistics Pyeongtaek industrial park south of Incheon to tap into Korean exports for Europe.

That's if shippers care to add a short run across the Yellow Sea to link up with the rail head at Chinese Port of Lianyungang where the train journey begins.

The advantages of the TCR include the transportation of heavy objects in containers without weight limits, ex coils and machinery. It can also links to Qingdao and Iljo in only five to six days.

The TCR and China Railway Container Transport (CRCT) have direct contract with the China Railroad Authority, which will secure competitive rates - albeit based on an exclusive monopoly. The process will ensure a less worrisome clearance system at each port in China, which will enhance the ability to solve problems in border transshipments.

The rail service will establish a custom service infrastructure by creating a local office for customs clearance and storage. The two will work through local subsidiaries and branches in central Asia.

The railway will allow the open-top, flat rack, and other special container truck transportations available.

Outside of the advantages and strengths listed, there are some precautions to be taken. For example, items subject to restrictions and fare differentials must be checked in advance.

Non-ferrous metals, heavy machinery, excavators, coils, batteries, tyre guns, and more are all examples of the versatility of TCR service.

Other precautions include the need to pay attention to bias when transporting by rail. The waiting time can occur in China if one TEU is booked and two cars are released. There is also a required x-ray cargo inspection when entering the Kazakhstan.

Although the creation of the TCR in its current form is recent, it has taken a long time to get here, starting with its first route in 1992, the West China Line.

Three years later, in 1995, it established the headquarters of Seohung Logistics Co and formed the Tianjin branch line.

In 2001, the company made its own containers for Seohung Logistics, and then created an Almaty line into Kazakhstan.

In 2002, TCR established the Tashkent branch office in Uzbekistan, participated in the international meeting of Silk Road in Lianyunga and joined the Beijing International Rail Transport Association.

In 2004, TCR2 created the Lianyungang Corporation in China, and signed a contract with the Kazakhstan Railways Agency for KTS.

In 2017, TCR block train seminars for Europe were held in Seoul and Tokyo with the start the TCR block train service for Europe from Korea.

Source : HKSG.