Affordability

High costs hold back electric truck uptake

Electric trucks remain uneconomic for most operators, according to a study by Environmental Resources Management. Based on UK market data that the consultancy says reflects conditions across the EU, the report finds that only one per cent of…

Asia leads throughput gains

Transhipment hubs outpace global port growth in 2025

Container throughput at the world’s largest ports grew an estimated 5.2 per cent in 2025, exceeding the 4.7 per cent rise in global container trade, according to Alphaliner. Disruption in liner networks, including Red Sea diversions and…

Operating result improves

Recovery at Hermes Germany beats expectations

Hermes Germany has sharply improved its operating result after a 231 million euro loss in 2024, chief executive Dennis Kollmann told DVZ International. The result exceeded the company's own projections, he said, with volumes rising even after price…

Shift to automation

HHLA bets on port investment after volume gains

Hamburg port operator HHLA plans to invest up to 450 million euros in its port business this year. The commitment comes as rising wage costs squeeze margins at its container terminals despite strong volume growth. The company is counting on…

Refund window tightens

German freight operators set for windfall after EU court ruling

Freight operators hoping to reclaim years of overpaid track access charges following last week's European Court of Justice ruling face limited prospects. Germany’s federal network regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur told DVZ International that approvals…

Civil support seen as essential

Bundeswehr seeks firmer pledges from logistics industry

Germany’s armed forces want civilian logistics providers to set out what they can deliver in a contingency. At the first DVZ Defence Logistics Conference in Berlin, Major General Jochen Deuer, commander of the Bundeswehr’s logistics command, which…

Waterway downturn

German inland shipping hits lowest level since 1990

Inland shipping volumes in Germany fell to 171.6 million tonnes in 2025, down 1.3 per cent and the lowest level since 1990, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Exports by inland waterway fell 4.8 per cent to 41.1 million tonnes; industry…

Fuel squeeze hits sector

Kerosene shortages hit airlines as bunker prices climb in shipping

Fuel markets have tightened sharply in response to the war in the Middle East, pushing kerosene and marine‑fuel prices to multi‑year highs. Airlines report emerging shortages at several Asian hubs, while container carriers face rapidly rising bunker…

Opposition to the Net Zero Framework

US seeks to block IMO climate rules

The United States has called for the International Maritime Organization to halt work on its proposed Net Zero Framework (NZF) for shipping, urging member states to drop plans for CO₂ pricing or limits on marine fuels. Washington also wants the…

Management

Bourguignon to lead Night Star Express after six-month interim

Six months after parting ways with its managing director over strategic differences, Night Star Express has chosen his successor from within. Nicole Bourguignon, 52, who has led the overnight carrier's finance division since March 2024, will take…

Network changes

Gulf air freight capacity begins to recover

Air freight capacity on the routes to and from the Gulf region most affected by the war in Iran is gradually recovering. According to data from the consultancy firm Rotate, immediately after the outbreak of war on 28 February, capacity from Europe to…

Changing routing patterns

Piraeus is losing its Mediterranean edge

As shipping routes shift to the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal, the port of Piraeus is increasingly losing its dominant position among Mediterranean ports. According to an analysis by Alphaliner, annual throughput has fallen by around…

Expansion

MSC's rail arm gains ground in Swiss alpine transit

Medway, the rail subsidiary of MSC, has sharply increased its services through Switzerland. Its share of net‑tonne traffic on the Gotthard and Simplon corridors rose from 0.5 per cent at the beginning of 2024 to 2.5 per cent a year later. Even though…

Management

Fraport appoints Focke as chief operating officer

Dietmar Focke takes over as chief operating officer of Fraport on 1 May 2026. The 53-year-old comes from Lufthansa Industry Solutions, where he served as chief executive, and previously held the same role at Lufthansa Cargo. Focke will oversee…

Rail freight operator in crisis mode

SBB Cargo losses widen as restructuring gathers pace

Switzerland's national rail freight operator SBB Cargo lost money across all its main businesses in 2025, posting a group loss of 122 million Swiss francs, a deterioration of 60.5 per cent. A write-down on fixed assets drove much of the increase, but…