It took low-cost long-haul carrier AirAsia X four years to secure the right to serve Sydney, and the carrier is now putting the matter behind it following its confirmation it will serve the Australian city from Kuala Lumpur with a daily service from 01-Apr-2012, with the likelihood of a double daily to follow. Another Australian city will later be added, to reach its goal of serving five Australian cities by the end of 2013. Also on the carrier’s expansion list is increased services to its existing Asian destinations, many of which are not served daily.

While the Sydney route progressed in likelihood following restrictions being lifted in Jun-2011, the route became a certainty after start-up competitor and Singapore Airlines subsidiary, Scoot said it would make Sydney its first destination from the middle of this year. The possibility of Malaysia letting a competitor based in Singapore, its fierce rival, serve Sydney before a Malaysian low-cost carrier was simply unacceptable!

Figures from the Hong Kong Marine Department show the port handled 24.4 million TEU in 2011, an increase of three per cent from 23.7 million in 2010, December’s figures showed a 1.4 per cent increase to two million TEU from the same month the previous year.

Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority reported a 5.3 per cent increase in container movement in 2011, having handled 29.9 million TEU compared to 28.4 million TEU in 2010. December container volumes are expected to increase 11 per cent to 2.6 million TEU year on year making the island state the 2nd busiest port in the world after Shanghai.

Well we have had some stellar entries for our LSCMS Photo Competition, and from 15th February we’ll be posting a link to the top 6 finalists and you can vote on the best submission and decide the winner!

The six finalists are:

• Evgeny Drokov
• Ramlee B. Manap
• Ong Yi Chao
• Ee Kay Beng
• Tan Ai Bee
• Tan Choon Lai

UPDATED: VOTE NOW!! Voting closes 15.Mar.2011.

Highly Commended Photos

We also had some highly commended photos. A big well done to the following people, and thanks to all for your submissions!

Sea (Port Cranes) - by Ronald See

Storage & Handling by Firhin Yusoff

Container & Material Handling Equipment by Kenneth Tan

The Logistics and Supply Chain Management Society has achieved an industry’s first! It’s training partner, The Turning Point Business School, has been appointed as the ‘Program Manager’, the first Approved Training Organisation in Logistics Training with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to conduct the ‘Workforce Skills Qualification’ or WSQ in Logistics.

By achieving the ‘Program Manager’ status, it allows the school to train individuals; both employed and unemployed, with minimal charges. On top of this, Training Allowance will also be disbursed to individuals or companies upon successful completion of their modules.

Read more…

Hello All,

The following article appeared in last Wednesday’s Straits Times, and illustrates the importance of Singapore to the region in terms of logistics. Please click on the article picture below to view the full sized version.

Courtesy of The Straits Times, Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 – Money Section, page H34

Updated: Other articles relevant to this include:

• CargonewsAsia – Singapore the world’s top logistics hub
  Singapore has emerged as number one in terms of logistics, according to a World Bank survey.
• EnterpriseOne – Singapore Soars As A Logistics Hub
  Reliability and service key to growth
  Singapore is steadfastly growing as a logistics hub for multinational corporations (MNCs) as it emerged tops in a World Bank survey for efficient handling and shipping of goods.

New intakes for programmes in Logistics – please see the following links for more information:

• Diploma in Logistics Management
• BBA in Logistics & Supply Chain Management