The Regional National Professional Body for Logistics Professionals
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Monday, 28 January, 2008

The official newsletter of the Logistics & Supply Chain Management Society.
http://www.lscms.org

UNSUBSCRIBE information at the bottom of this email.
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- DHL Takes Innovative Environmental Initiative
- The Logistics Society at Careers 2008
- QANTAS fined US$61 Million
- On Line Forum & Job Opportunities
- Singapore still Number 1

DHL Takes Innovative Environmental Initiative
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DHL Global Forwarding has announced that the world's first cargo vessel, the Beluga SkySails, to be equipped with the SkySails towing kite, has been deployed as a commercial transport for the first time. Embarking on its maiden voyage earlier this week, the Beluga SkySails has been tasked with transporting the first parts of a complete particleboard factory from Bremen to Guanta, Venezuela.

According to a release by the company, the unique wind propulsion system consists of a huge towing kite that provides additional thrust for the ship, reducing fuel consumption, costs and emissions and in its first shipment, the vessel is transporting freight weighing about 10,000 tons on a journey across the Atlantic that is expected to take two weeks.

Claus Krueger, director at DHL Global Forwarding and responsible for the Project Group Germany, said: "The Beluga SkySails is a forward-looking example of how to implement low-emission ocean freight transports. The promising environmental aspects of the new SkySails System were a major factor in our decision for this charter."

The Beluga SkySails was christened in Hamburg last month. This multipurpose heavy-lift carrier belongs to the fleet of Bremen shipping company Beluga Shipping GmbH. The Hamburg firm SkySails developed its wind propulsion system, which features a towing kite measuring up to 320 square metres. Depending on the wind conditions, fuel costs can be lowered by between 10 and 35 per cent, the company claimed.

The Logistics Society at Careers 2008
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The Logistics & Supply Chain Management Society will be taking part in this year’s Careers 2008 to be held at Suntec City from 28 February - 2 March, 2008.

Last year saw more than 300,000 visitors, young professionals, tertiary students and adults attending Singapore’s largest Career exhibition. The Society’s main objective at Careers 2008 is to educate the public on the importance of Logistics & Supply Chain Management and the numerous career and upgrading prospects available.

Attendance to the full-day career fair and numerous career talks are FREE OF CHARGE and consultations and exhibitions by companies will pose as a great opportunity for interested parties to learn more about the careers, the industry in genral and the upgrading opportunities available.

If you would like to have more information on this, log on to our website at http://www.lscms.org

QANTAS fined US$61 Million
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Qantas joins British Airways and Korean Airlines in a spate of convictions this last year as two present and four former Qantas freight employees could individually face possible prosecution in the US in connection with a global price-fixing cartel involving up to 30 airlines worldwide.

A report by Brisbane's Courier Mail said the names of the six men are contained in last year's plea bargain between Qantas and the US Justice Department, whereby the Australian carrier agreed to plead guilty to engaging in a six-year conspiracy between January 2000 and February 2006, to eliminate competition by fixing the rates for US-Australia air shipments.

Qantas was ordered to pay a US$61 million fine for its role in the price-fixing cartel. In return for Qantas's pleading guilty and agreeing to cooperate with the investigation, the US Justice Department said in the plea agreement it would "not bring criminal charges against any current or former directors, officers or employees" of Qantas.

However, the agreement says the "protections granted in this paragraph" shall not apply to the six current and former Qantas staff, who have been named as: Peter Frampton, John Cooper, Stephen Cleary, Harold Pang, Desmond Church and Bruce McCaffrey, reports the Courier Mail.

It pointed out that the US Justice Department has therefore reserved its right to investigate the men further and possibly prosecute them. Any successful prosecution could result in fines or jail time.

The plea bargain said: "During the relevant period, the defendant, through its officers and employees, including high-level personnel of the defendant's freight division, participated in a conspiracy with one or more providers of air cargo services, a primary purpose of which was to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing one or more components of the cargo rates."

Speculation is rife that Qantas's criminal fine of $61 million will seem light compared to civil damages claims arising from at least three separate civil class actions lawsuits filed in Australia and the US. The report added that Qantas also faces possible fines in Australia from corporate regulators and action from European anti-trust investigators.

On Line Forum & Job Opportunities
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Readers, members and friends of The Logistics & Supply Chain Management Society are invited to log on to our website at http://www.lscms.org. Aside from the numerous upgrading and training opportunities available, you can also join our on-line forum which has new members joining every other day or visit our job board.

If you have any queries on our activities or courses, please contact us Edmund at elee@lscms.org

Singapore Still Number 1
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SINGAPORE handled a total of 27.9 million TEU last year, an increase of 12.7 per cent over its 2006 throughput of 24.8 million TEU, according to figures from the Maritime & Port Authority.

Singapore surged ahead of Hong Kong, which only moved a total of 23.9 million TEU last year. Shanghai is now the second biggest box port with a 2007 volume of 26.2 million TEU.

According to the Shanghai Port and Shipping Bureau, the volume of general cargo handled by the largest mainland seaport totalled 560 million tones. This makes Shanghai the world's leading marine port in terms of overall gross tonnage.

Container volumes handled by Hong Kong's various terminals in December dropped 0.9 per cent year-on-year to 2.12 million TEU, according to the Hong Kong's Port Development Council however Hong Kong's total container throughput last year (23.9 million TEU) was up 1.5 per cent from 2006.