Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistic, a global provider of shipping and logistics services, appointed Mr. Gur Prasad Kohli as Managing Director for India. In a recent interview with the company’s press service Mr. Kohli shared his vision on the logistics industry and India’s future.

There are more and more foreign companies entering the Russian logistics market. Managing Director of AKG LOGISTICS Arkadius Grabietz told in an interview with PortNews about the peculiarities of working in Russia.

Managing Director of Kuehne + Nagel Perry Newman told in a recent interview with PortNews about the company’s plans, the main difficulties of working in Russia and trends in global logistics.

Several months ago St. Petersburg-based North-West Shipping Company (NWSC) has become a fully private company – the state-owned stake in the company was auctioned off. There have been some changes in the composition of shareholders as well as in the company’s top management: Albert Vygovsky took over the office of NWSC’s Managing Director after Konstantin Palnikov headed in March 2011 a Transport Ministry’s department. Mr. Vygovsky has given an interview to PortNews.

Growing production of hydrocarbons in the Caspian Sea will inevitably lead to an increase in shipping, Russian Vice Premier Sergei Ivanov said. Mr. Ivanon who heads the Marine Board of Russian Government was speaking at the agency meeting in Astrakhan. The official noted the Volga-Caspian canal has been operating at its maximum capacity.

The upgrade of terminal facilities and, first of all the transshipment equipment, which age reaches, as experts say, 30 years at an average, is a burning issue for the Russian port industry. Crane manufacturers offer more and more interesting solutions that enable good saving on operation of the handling equipment and improve the quality of services provided at ports. At the same time, this gives rise to a debate which model of harbor crane construction is more efficient – using single straight jib or applying double jib level luffing principle.

There have been scores of projects announced in Russia for creation of industrial, port and logistics zones, located within the ports’ boundaries or nearby. This is very common for foreign countries as the scheme greatly enhance the logistics and helps forming the huge ports’ logistics and production centers.

For several recent years the issue of the Russian fleet upgrade has been an urgent agenda for Russian government, the ministries and the businesses, but things are still where they started, though there is no opponent of the idea. It is quite clear that the modernization of domestic fleet, the pressing problems in the shipping and shipbuilding industry can not be resolved quickly, even with adequate political will. However, there is still one solution to the problem – the upgrade of river and sea vessels can be achieved through the so-called conversion, proposed by Russian River Register and Marine Engineering Bureau.

The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan that have caused the destruction of the country’s infrastructure and damaged the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant will certainly have an impact on world energy markets. The question is will Russia be able to increase exports of coal, crud oil, petroleum products and gas, and will the Far East bunker companies boost sales volume?

Despite the spring thaw the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland still remains covered in ice. Some experts say the severe ice conditions on 10-11 March that hampered navigation in the area may recur again. Every day, over a hundred of merchant ships have to wait for icebreaker assistance in the Gulf.