Global rail, sea & road logistics news round-up
EC tightens rules around shipping pollution
The European Commission (EC) is to tighten EU rules around maritime safety and pollution from ships.
The proposals are designed to give the EU powers to support clean and modern shipping, reports Port Technology.
The rule changes include ‘flag state’ inspections, to improve maritime safety and reduce the risks of environmental pollution.
The flag state of a merchant vessel is the jurisdiction under whose laws the vessel is registered or licensed, and is deemed the nationality of the vessel.
Enhanced inspections will aid information-sharing between flag states on the results of inspections they carry out and compliance issues in general.
Port State control (PSC), meanwhile, will be extended to cover additional international rules, such as new conventions on ballast water, sediments, and removal of wrecks.]
PSC is the safety-compliance inspection of foreign ships in national ports. More importance will be given to environmentally related performance levels.
Ukraine & Poland rail-gauge move is grain boon
Poland and Ukraine have struck a deal to standardise the railway gauges between the two countries, which has caused major logistics bottlenecks.
According to Reuters, a new deal to switch Ukraine to Standard gauge is set to be signed this month. The move follows a recent joint European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) pre-feasibility study.
Prior to the study, the plan had been to extend Ukraine’s Broad gauge into Poland and Europe.
The difference in gauges has hampered efforts to export Ukrainian grain, in a bid to ease global grain shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
GreyOrange seals inventory robotics deal
Inventory optimisation software specialist GreyOrange has struck a partnership with Optimak STU, which provides robotic solutions for production and warehousing.
Optimak will help GreyOrange implement solutions and support its customers in their global operations.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with Optimak, to increase the efficiency, efficacy, and productivity of our global customers’ warehouse operations,” said James Newman, EMEA Director at GreyOrange.
Tansel Cavit Kulak, Founder and CEO of Optimak STU said: “We have successfully installed our solutions in a diverse range of industries, including food, beverage, health, pharmaceutical, and many others.
“Our collaboration with GreyOrange will help us enhance performance, increase capacity, and improve the quality of operational flows for our customers.”
