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APL salutes Philippines on its 100th anniversary

IN celebration of its 100th anniversary in the Philippines, APL, a unit of CMA CGM, on Friday renewed its commitment to keep pioneering shipping solutions for the development of the Philippines' shipping industry.

Part of APL's plan is to identify local partnerships to extend its reach to more outports in the Philippines, facilitate trading by opening new service routes and keep engaging industry stakeholders for the development of the sector.

Said APL chief executive Nicolas Sartini: "APL has laid a firm foundation in the Philippines since we established our presence here in 1917. Now, we are a leading ocean carrier in the market."

APL now connects the Philippines with its key trading partners, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, North America, Europe and Singapore among others through eight intra-Asia services.

Among these services is the China Southeast Asia Service 5 (CS5), which allows direct shipments between North and Central China and Manila.

Other services that are also designed to facilitate the Philippines' rapid trade growth with China and Southeast Asia include the China Southeast Asia Service 3 (CS3), China Southeast Asia 6 (CS6), Japan Taiwan Service 6 (JT6) and the South Philippines Express (SPX).

The Philippines plays a big role in the APL's global shipping operations because it is where APL's Pricing Administration Centre (PAC) is based.

The PAC is the only centre that manages all tariff applications and regulatory compliance for APL's global business. Being a critical backbone to APL's shipping operations, APL will further develop this local hub as it seeks further growth in the Philippines and globally.

Bookends of 'Belt and Road' Lianyungang and Riga make a deal

LIANYUNGANG, in Shandong province, 254 kilometres southwest of Qingdao, and Riga, the capital of Latvia signed an "Memorandum on Strategic Cooperation" for each to become book-end rail terminals on the New Silk Road from the Yellow Sea to the Baltic.

The signing took place within the framework of the International Logistics Exhibition Silk Road International Logistics Expo in Lianyungang, reported Dry Bulk magazine of Farnham, west of London.

"Riga is interested in strengthening of relations to use the experience of the port of Lianyungang, to develop transport connections with Eurasia to create a multi-modal transport corridor from the Yellow Sea to the Baltic," said Freeport of Riga Authority CEO Martin Ziemanis.

Within the framework of the meeting, Mr Ziemanis certified to the Chinese delegation that the Freeport of Riga could provide port infrastructure which is already compatible with the infrastructure of countries of the One Belt and One Road Initiatives

This, he said, would ensure effective transport connections. Likewise, Mr Ziemanis invited the management of the port and city of Lianyungang to visit Latvia and meet with representatives of port, railway and logistics companies in order to continue the cooperation.

Said Lianyungang Municipal Communist Party Committee secretary Yang Xingshi: "Thanks to the geographical advantages of Latvia the port of Riga, with its maritime and direct railway connections with Russia, Belarus and Middle Asia, can play a crucial role as the Western Gate of the Eurasian Land Bridge."

The Port of Lianyungang is one of the starting points of the New Silk Road. It is an exemplary port of China, which handles inland and international cargo, providing combined rail service. The first Chinese-European container train was opened in 1992, when the new transport corridor connected the port of Lianyungang with the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands via Middle Asia.

Last year, over 220 million tonnes of cargo and 4.65 million TEU were handled in the port of Lianyungang, making it the 10th largest port in China.

The Port of Lianyungang was chosen by Kazakhstan for its investments in China. In 2014, "KTZ-Express a subsidiary company of Kazakhstan Railway purchased shares in the multi-modal terminal of the port of Kazakhstan.

This year, the authority of the port of Lianyungang, together with China Cosco Shipping Group, purchased 49 per cent of shares of the Horgos logistics centre located on the border of China and Kazakhstan, creating an inland connection between the two terminals.