This would represent the slowest rate of growth recorded by the industry since 2016.

Cargo yield growth is also expected to slow next year, slipping from an “exceptional” 10% year-on-year improvement in 2018 to an increase of 2% in 2019.

However, the cargo sector will benefit from lower costs next year. Finally, overall cargo revenues are expected to reach $116.1bn, up from $109.8bn in 2018.

The organisation said weaker growth levels were a reflection of the trade outlook.

IATA pointed out that global GDP is forecast to expand by 3.1% in 2019, marginally below the 3.2% expansion in 2018.

It added that there are significant downside risks to growth from trade wars and political uncertainties such as with Brexit, but the consensus view is that these factors will not offset the positive impetus from expansionary fiscal policy and growing business investment in major economies.

IATA also forecast that global airline industry net profit will be $35.5bn in 2019, slightly ahead of the $32.3bn expected net profit in 2018.

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director general and chief executive, said: “We had expected that rising costs would weaken profitability in 2019. But the sharp fall in oil prices and solid GDP growth projections have provided a buffer.

“So we are cautiously optimistic that the run of solid value creation for investors will continue for at least another year. But there are downside risks as the economic and political environments remain volatile.”

Air Cargo News

The trial project, launched in September 2018, is aimed at improving the operational efficiency of the port due to easy monitoring of on-site road activity, improved fleet management as well as pre- and post-carriage management.

As part of the pilot project, MSC Spain trucks have been equipped with Traxens’ IoT devices, allowing for near real-time tracking of movement of vehicles. This can help port authorities to predict and manage potential congestions, as well as to anticipate truck arrivals at the gates.

Traxens has installed a gateway in the MSC Terminal to allow enhanced and secured connectivity. It will also provide access to its big data analytics platform, TraxensHub, via APIs, bringing enhanced analytics and reporting capabilities for port authorities.

“Our pilot project at the Port of Valencia is one of the first applications of an IoT system in a port environment and we are eagerly awaiting results,” said Jacques Delort, managing director of Traxens, stressing that big data is the future of the shipping industry.

“We have already used IoT devices by Traxens for tracking our containers and we believe that the functionality can really help port authorities in improving operations. This could bring benefits to all parties,” said Jaime Lopez, Intermodal Project Leader, MSC Spain.

“The Port of Valencia believes in the role of innovation and digitalization for the future of shipping ports, for example by using the PCS (Port Community Systems) integration platform. We are delighted to provide a trial site for Traxens, which could eventually result in the improvement of operations for the whole of the shipping industry,” said Miguel Llop, Director of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), from the Fundacion Valenciaport.

Traxens aims to extend its solution to other terminals within the Port of Valencia, by deploying additional gateways.

En route from the Far East it’s groaning under the weight of 18,000 containers each the size of a removal van and packed full of electronics, white goods, toys and clothes.

Just a few years ago ships of this immense size would have been unthinkable. But as demand for cheap foreign imports has grown so too have these leviathans of the sea. Now barely a day passes without an arrival from China, Malaysia or Korea.

The Danish line Maersk alone will have a fleet of 20 identical ships within less than two years, churned out by builders in Busan, South Korea. Each of them will be able to transport 18 million flatscreen televisions, 182 million iPads, 36,000 cars or 111 million pairs of trainers.

Wider than an eight-lane motorway, 240ft high and weighing 165,000 tons the ships plough a relentless furrow along the world’s busiest sea route from Asia to Europe. But they often return less than half empty, a stark reminder of the trade imbalance that exists between Europe and the Far East.

Nick Brown, a marine expert at Lloyd’s Register, says: “Without these huge ships world trade would be impossible. They bring the goods from Asia that we all rely on.

“In the Nineties, when ships capable of carrying 4,000 containers were introduced, no one thought they could possibly get any bigger. The biggest now is carrying more than four times that amount.”