Transport Infrastructure

Passenger Transportation Services

Passenger Transportation Services

What is Vietnam doing to prepare for US tariffs

The looming tariffs by U.S. president Donald Trump could affect virtually all the goods exported to Vietnam's top market. These exports were worth over $142 billion in 2017, or around 30% of Southeast Asia's GDP. Vietnam was a beneficiary of the trade war Trump waged against China during his first term. However, Vietnamese officials and companies abroad are unsure how they will do under the new tariffs Trump has announced will go into effect on Wednesday. Vietnam, with a surplus of $123.5 billion and meeting several criteria, has the biggest trade surplus with the U.S. Here are some measures that...

Passenger Transportation Services

Brazil's Lula will meet Vietnam's leaders in order to boost trade relations

Luiz inacio Lula da silva, Brazil's president, will meet Vietnam's leaders on Friday at Hanoi as he travels to the Southeast Asian country with a large delegation of businessmen to try to strengthen trade and economic links under the shadows of a trade war. Lula's visit comes at a time when Hanoi is under pressure to reduce its huge trade surplus by the Trump administration. Hanoi has also pledged to increase U.S. Imports, which includes farm products like soybeans that Brazil is the top exporter of to Vietnam. A Brazilian official familiar with the agenda stated that both countries will...

Passenger Transportation Services

IATA supports European airlines' call to relax green fuel mandate

IATA's head, who represents the world's airlines, has welcomed the call from Europe's leading carriers to delay a target of 2030 for sustainable aviation fuel usage in Europe. He said that Brussels policymakers must face reality. We can't pretend these targets are important and achievable. Willie Walsh said, "They were never going be able to be achieved." According to EU rules, suppliers are required to ensure that 2% (of the fuel) available at EU airports in 2025 is SAF, increasing to 6% by 2030, and then gradually to 70% by 2050. The airlines claim that SAF is scarce and they...

Passenger Transportation Services

BCG report: Green jet fuel production may not meet 2030 targets

Boston Consulting Group's (BCG) report on Thursday found that the sustainable aviation fuel industry (SAF) is not meeting its 2030 targets because production hasn't ramped up fast enough. This year, European airlines will be required to use 2% SAF in their jet fuel. By 2030, this mandate is expected to increase to 6%. Many have complained about the cost of the fuel which is usually three to five time more expensive than conventional jet fuel. The report revealed that airports and airlines are only investing 1%-3% of their budget or revenue into SAF. High production costs and fuel price remain...

Passenger Transportation Services

Airbus has set out its stall for new plane development

Airbus gave an early glimpse at the technologies that will be used in its next aircraft, which is expected to replace its most popular A320neo. The new plane should enter service within 10 to 15 years. Guillaume Faury, who will begin his third three-year tenure as CEO in a few weeks, faces a key decision: when to replace industry's best-selling model that competes with Boeing 737 MAX's 737 MAX on the busiest market segment. Airbus claimed that the new aircraft would be 20-30% efficient than the A320neo. NASA in the U.S. has announced that it is developing a rival configuration...

Passenger Transportation Services

Financial Times – March 24,

These are the most popular stories from the Financial Times. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports. Headlines Wood Group to continue takeover talks with UAE-based Sidara Heathrow's National Grid chief claims that the airport had "enough power" despite the fire shutdown Malaysia cracks down on Nvidia chips under US pressure James Hardie will buy Azek, a building products company for almost $9bn View the full article After a failed takeover attempt six months earlier, the British oilfield engineering and services firm Wood Group agreed to extend its deadline for talks....

Passenger Transportation Services

Japan Oil Refiners Group head: Regulations are needed to encourage airlines to use sustainable fuel

The head of the industry lobby group, who represents Japanese oil refiners, said that concrete regulations and frameworks were needed to encourage airlines and supply chains to develop decarbonization efforts and use sustainable aviation fuel. Cosmo Energy Holdings is launching Japan's first home production of SAF, but cost-cutting challenges still remain. The country's goal to replace 10% of jet fuel by a cleaner alternative remains. As part of Japan's effort to combat climate changes, refiners are required to supply SAF that is equivalent to 10% their aviation fuel sales. This aligns with the global initiative to reduce carbon dioxide emissions...

Passenger Transportation Services

Heathrow Airport in the UK closes Heathrow Airport for a day following a fire at a substation

Heathrow Airport in Britain announced on Friday that it would be closed until after midnight due to an extensive power outage caused by a fire near the electrical substation which supplies the airport. Heathrow Airport posted a message on X saying that the airport would be closed on the 21st March until 23h59. Passengers are advised to avoid the airport. A Heathrow spokesperson said in an email that fire crews were responding to the incident, but it was unclear when power would be restored. They also predicted significant disruptions over the next few days. Eurocontrol, the company that manages air...

Passenger Transportation Services

Australia shares hit a seven-month low, dragged down by banks. Qantas falls on the ex-dividend.

The Australian share market fell to a near seven-month-low on Tuesday. This was due to a decline in financial stocks. It followed a global drop in equity prices after uncertainty over tariffs imposed on the U.S. by President Donald Trump raised concerns of a possible recession in Australia. Qantas also fell as it began trading ex-dividend. The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 1.5%, reaching 7,843.80 at 2356 GMT. This is its lowest level since 2024. U.S. stocks fell overnight. The S&P 500 registered its largest one-day decline since December 18, 2024 and the Nasdaq, which is heavily loaded with tech, dropped...

Passenger Transportation Services

Cosmo will launch Japan's sustainable aviation fuel production by April

Cosmo Energy Holdings will launch Japan's domestic production of sustainable aviation in April. This is a major step towards the country's target of replacing 10% jet fuel with an alternative that's cleaner, but there are still challenges to be overcome. Cosmo, Japan's third largest refiner, will make SAF using used cooking oil in its Sakai refinery, located in western Japan. Takeshi Takada said, "Our goal is for SAF to reach 300,000 Kilolitres in 2030, through both domestic production and imported SAF." As Japan fights climate change, it must align with global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) from aircrafts. According...

Passenger Transportation Services

US Communications Agency to Explore Alternatives to GPS Systems

Federal Communications Commission of the United States announced on Wednesday that it will vote next month on exploring alternatives to GPS. National security concerns were raised over relying solely on GPS, a system vital to modern life. GPS (global positioning system) is the short name for a network satellites and receivers used to position, navigate and time on Earth by everything from cars and ships to planes. Brendan Carr, FCC chairperson, said: "Continue to rely on a single system so heavily leaves us vulnerable." "We must develop redundant technologies." Reports have surfaced of a global increase in GPS interference, especially...

Passenger Transportation Services

Elliott nominates 7 directors for Phillips 66 to increase pressure

Elliott Investment Management has nominated seven board members to Phillips 66, laying the foundation for pushing for changes, including spinning off or selling the midstream business. Two people familiar with this matter confirmed that. Last month, the activist investment firm disclosed a $2.5-billion stake in the oil refining company. It is returning to the campaign for a second time, just over a 12-month period after making a $1-billion investment in 2023, and pressing for improvements in strategy with limited success. In a letter published last month, Elliott demanded that Phillips 66 - which has a $52 billion market value -...

Ground Transportation

Ground Transportation

Study shows deep sea mining still has a lasting impact on the environment forty years after it began

Scientists said that a strip of Pacific Ocean seabed, which was mined more than 40 year ago for metals, has not recovered. This adds weight to the calls for a ban on all deep-sea mining during this week's U.N. led talks. Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre in Britain led a 2023 expedition by a team to the mineral rich Clarion Clipperton Zone. They found that the effects of a 1979 mining test experiment are still felt on the seafloor. This complex ecosystem hosts hundreds of species. According to a study published in Nature Journal, the collection of "polymetallic" nodules...

Transportation

One tank of jet fuel was damaged by a ship wreckage off the coast of Britain

Crowley, a U.S. logistics company, said that only one tank of jet fuel was damaged when a U.S. military tanker transporting a shipment off England's north-east coast was hit by a cargo vessel. Stena Immaculate was anchored off Humberside on 10 March when the smaller Solong struck it. The explosions and fires started. Crowley, the company that manages the tanker said in a Sunday statement the third-party salvage crew had confirmed the damage was "limited to one cargo tank which contained Jet-A1 Fuel and one ballast container containing seawater". Stena Bulk, the owner of the vessel, confirmed Monday that it...

Ground Transportation

Red Sea Insurance Rates Stay Firm as US Airstrikes Raise Fears for Ships

Industry sources say that the cost of shipping goods across the Red Sea will remain stable after the United States conducted further airstrikes in Yemen on Monday. This has heightened fears about new attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis, who are targeted by Washington. The U.S. conducted airstrikes Saturday in response to threats by the Houthi Movement to threaten international shipping. Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-run TV station, said that the Houthis targeted the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Monday and the Al Jawf Governorate, north of Sanaa, according to the Houthis. In January, Houthis announced that they would cease attacks...

Passenger Ground & Sea Transportation