[280912.EN.SEA] NYK Buys Control of Russia's ROLF Group's Logistics Unit In Joint Venture

JAPAN's Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and the ROLF Group, a leading logistics operator based in Russia, have agreed to launch a joint venture that will result in NYK owning 51 per cent of its partner's logistics business, ROLF SCS, with ROLF maintaining ownership of 49 per cent of the shares.

The joint venture will embrace all parts of ROLF's logistics business including ROLF SCS terminal in Lobnya; customs terminal and technical service centre, Elite-Trans; CBU operation in the port of Zarubino and the insurance agent ROLF Insurance.

The JV will also use for its operations the rented terminal in Naberezhnye Chelny and the rented terminal Petrolesport, which has become a very important asset for CBU services, said the NYK release.

ROLF SCS' current managers will lead the new joint venture divisions and work in cooperation with NYK representatives. Alexander Larin, who is now CEO of ROLF's logistics business, will be CEO of the new joint company.

"Both partners also agreed to maintain the ROLF SCS brand because it has a strong, positive image, representing ROLF as a reliable partner and market expert," it said.

The launch of the joint venture aims for the ROLF Group to provide its existing customers and new clients with a wider variety of services and also implement NYK's best practices into its business processes. NYK also has at its disposal a sizeable network of assets that allows it to maintain logistics operations throughout Europe and around the world.

NYK said it found "ROLF to be an excellent partner with impressive assets and a unique experience in the Russian logistics market, a global thinker accustomed to meeting the needs of its customers through a wide range of services."

According to NYK managing corporate officer Shunichi Kusunose, "The key priority of the JV will be maintaining the high level of performance and customer service offered by the ROLF SCS team and developing all the existing directions of the business according to Russian market specifics and best global practices."

Source : HKSG.

[280912.ID.AIR] GARUDA INDONESIA Terbang Ke Amerika Serikat Akhir 2015

JAKARTA:  Garuda Indonesia terbang ke Amerika Serikat menggunakan armada baru berbadan lebih besar.

"Garuda siap terbang ke AS, karena pada saat itu sudah dapat armada B-777-300ER," kata Emirsyah Satar, Dirut Garuda Indonesia kepada Bisnis, Senin (17/9/2012).

Emirsyah menjelaskan  pada akhir 2015, yakni pada saat pencanangan program Quantum Leap, jumlah pesawat Garuda menjadi 244 unit, dari perkiraan sebelumnya 194 unit dengan tambahan 50 unit pesawat turboprop atau baling-baling.

Dia menambahkan Garuda juga kembali ditetapkan sebagai The Best International Airline pada Juli 2012, setelah terpilih di kategori yang sama pada Januari dan Februari 2012 dari Roy Morgan.

Penetapan Garuda sebagai The Best International Airline di Australia tersebut didasarkan pada hasil riset yang dilakukan oleh Roy Morgan mulai Agustus 2011 hingga Juli 2012 terhadap 4.530 responden, yang diminta untuk memberikan penilaian terhadap produk dan layanan perusahaan-perusahaan penerbangan dunia.

Dalam survei yang dilaksanakan Garuda Indonesia meraih nilai tertinggi, yaitu sebesar 90%, bersama dengan Singapore Airlines, melebihi perusahaan-perusahaan penerbangan dunia lain, antara lain Air New Zealand, Emirates, dan Thai Airways.

Sebelumnya, imbuh Emirsyah, sejalan dengan program transformasi dan Quantum Leap yang saat ini terus dilaksanakan, Garuda berhasil meraih berbagai pencapaian signifikan, seperti pada  2010 Garuda berhasil menjadi maskapai bintang empat, terpilih sebagai The World's Most Improved Airline oleh lembaga pemeringkat airline, Skytrax yang berkedudukan di London, dan pada 2011 terpilih sebagai Airline Turn Around of The Year oleh Centre for Asia Pacific Airlines (CAPA). (bas)

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 17.09.12.

[250912.EN.BIZ] WTO Cuts Global Trade Forecast, Sees 2.5pc Growth in 2012 - 4.5pc In 2013

THE World Trade Organisation (WTO) sees trade growth as 32 per cent less in 2012 and off by 19.6 per cent in 2013 than they did in its April forecast, and now expects trade to grow 2.5 per cent in 2012 and 4.5 per cent in 2013.

Slowing US job growth and shrinking Chinese expansion prompted the downgrade together with the continuing European sovereign debt crisis, resulting in a decline in trade with EU, said the WTO statement.

WTO director general Pascal Lamy said US financial assistance, aka "quantitative easing", to stabilise the euro was helped, but more needs to be done. "The last thing the world economy needs right now is the threat of rising protectionism," he said.

"All of these factors have contributed to an easing of global trade growth, which slowed to a crawl in the second quarter according to new quarterly merchandise trade volume statistics compiled by the WTO," said the WTO statement.

The WTO based its current forecast on the assumption that the EU will hold off a break-up of euro zone membership and the United States will avoid a US$120 billion cutback to reduce the federal deficit.

Source : HKSG.

[250912.ID.AIR] Maskapai Baru : Indonesia Air Transport Akan Beroperasi November 2012

JAKARTA: PT Indonesia Air Transport Tbk bersiap menjadi maskapai penerbangan regular dengan layanan medium yang akan beroperasi mulai November 2012.

Maskapai Indonesia Air Transport atau IATA ini tengah mengajukan revisi Surat Izin Usaha Penerbangan (SIUP) ke Kementerian Perhubungan.

“Kita masih menunggu persetujuan revisi SIUP dari Kemenhub, ditargetkan selesai dalam waktu dekat ini," kata Chief Executive Officer IATA Syafril Nasution Jakarta, Kamis (20/9).

Saat ini revisi SIUP maskapainya masih proses pengecekan oleh Ditjen Perhubungan Udara Kementerian Perhubungan. Setelah revisi SIUP tersebut rampung, lanjut Syafril, maskapai penerbangan IATA regular akan segera dioperasikan pada November 2012

Dia menjelaskan nantinya IATA menjadi maskapai niaga berjadwal kelas ekonomi premium, yakni menyediakan kursi untuk dua jenis yaitu las bisnis dan ekonomi.

Syafril menambahkan IATA akan menjadikan Bandara Internasional Husein Sastranegara, Bandung, Jawa Barat, sebagai hub penerbangan atau bandara pengumpan menuju rute penerbangan lain ke wilayah barat Indonesia.

Dipilihnya bandara Bandung, imbuhnya, karena kapasitas penumpang dan pesawat di Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta telah melebihi kapasitas yang ada. 

“Untuk itu kami memindahkan hub ke Bandara Husein Sastranegara, nantinya akan ada delapan penerbangan perharinya dari bandara tersebut,” jelas Syafril.

Dia juga menambahkan dari Bandung rute penerbangan yang akan dilayani maskapainya yaitu menuju Solo, Yogyakarta, Denpasar dan Balikpapan, selain itu IATA juga membidik rute menuju Medan, Padang, Batam, Makassar dan Balikpapan.

Untuk pengembangan usaha penerbangan berjadwal medium services dari Bandung ini, lanjut Syafril, perusahaannya akan menggunakan armada Airbus A319 dan A320 dengan kapasitas kursi 140 hingga 160 seat (tempat duduk) kelas ekonomi dan bisnis.(api)

Sumber : Bisnis Indonesia, 20.09.12.

[240912.EN.SEA] Germany: Wilhelmshaven Welcomes First Container Vessel

Yesterday evening at around 10 p.m. the MV “Maersk Laguna” was the first container vessel to tie up at the quayside of the EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven, Germany’s only deep-water container terminal.

The mooring of the Maersk container ship is a milestone and marks the official start of operations of the container terminal, which is being inaugurated today with a festive celebration. As is customary in the shipping business, terminal managing director Mikkel Andersen and sales manager Torsten Meyer greeted the captain on board and handed over a welcoming gift.

The mooring of the “Maersk Laguna” is unscheduled. However, Maersk Line has included Wilhelmshaven in the transport routes of two of its scheduled container services: the AE1 Far East service and the CRX South America service. Both services will now regularly call at the new container terminal once a week. The next vessel is already due next week on 24 September 2012.

Built in 2012, the MV “Maersk Laguna” is 300 m long and 45 m wide and has a capacity of 7,450 TEUs. Loading and unloading of the vessel started early Friday morning. The ship will leave the port again at around 6 p.m.

“We are very pleased everything has gone so smoothly,” says Marcel Egger, managing director of the EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven.“The mooring of the “Maersk Laguna” is an important milestone for us. Initially the container terminal will have a higher share of transhipment business. The loading side first needs to develop. It’s only natural that that will take a certain time. The market participants first have to adjust to the new port and organise their loads accordingly. But we are very confident that over the long term Wilhelmshaven will be a big success.”

“The staff at EUROGATE have been working towards and eagerly awaiting this moment for a long time,” says Mikkel Andersen, responsible as managing director of the terminal for operations. “Now at last it’s here and everybody is excited about it. With the EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven we have a highly productive, modern transhipment facility and we are determined to prove that this is the case.”

Source : SN-TR, 21.09.12.