DC Velocity - February 2020

INBOUND

On many of today’s containerships, the engines run virtually 24/7—whether it’s the main engine that propels the vessel through the seas or the diesel auxiliary engines that supply power for light, pumps, and refrigeration systems during port stays. Though the auxiliary units allow ships to shut off their main engines for a while, they’re hardly an eco-friendly alternative. They still generate greenhouse-gas emissions—a problem the maritime industry is trying to address through measures like its “IMO 2020” rule requiring the use of cleaner-burning fuels.

In a bid to curb those emissions, the container giant CMA CGM Group and France’s Port of Dunkirk recently launched a “cold ironing,” or shoreside power, system that allows ships at berth to plug directly into an onshore electricity supply and shut down their engines completely. The program, which advocates say will reduce air and noise pollution as well as the vessel’s bunker-fuel consumption, is similar to one now in place at California’s Port of Oakland.

Dunkirk contracted with a consortium called Actemium to design and supply its cold-ironing system, which fits into six 40-foot shipping containers. The French port’s system has a capacity of eight megawatts—enough to power nearly 1,000 homes.

The first vessel to use the system was CMA CGM’s APL Singapura, which plugged into the cold-ironing facilities at Dunkirk’s Terminal des Flandres in early January. The system will become fully operational later this year, CMA CGM says. ;

Ships go on the
grid to clear the air

It’s not every day that the worlds of fashion and air freight collide. But in early January, fashion-show producer and supermodel Jessica Minh Anh was spotted touring a hangar operated by international shipping specialist DHL Express U.S. at New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

Anh was at the airport not to catch a flight but rather to prepare for an “enviro-fashion” show that took place at DHL Express’s Kennedy Gateway facility in early February. Designed to promote the globally sustainable supply chain, the “J Winter Fashion Show 2020” premiered a number of new fashion collections while highlighting the modern “upcycling” and delivery process in a creative and sustainable way, according to DHL, which hosted the event.

As for why she chose to partner with DHL for the show, Anh said it was all about the company’s eco-credentials. “Since shipping and logistics is such a big part of the fashion industry, I believe it is crucial to minimize environmental impacts by using green logistics solutions,” she said in a release. “What drew me to DHL is its great commitment to sustainability. From optimizing transport routes and rolling out alternative-fuel vehicles to operating energy-efficient warehouses, DHL is reducing transport-related CO2 emissions. It is important for me to partner with a company that prioritizes the health of our planet.” ;

Air freight meets high fashion

Unemployment in the U.S. is at a 50-year low right now, forcing logistics enterprises to get creative when it comes to finding workers to staff their operations. The latest example is Concord, North Carolina-based third-party logistics service provider (3PL) Cardinal Logistics, which has been recruiting drivers through Facebook Messenger, the social media giant’s instant messaging platform.

According to Facebook, Cardinal was already using Messenger to communicate in real time with its drivers as they prefer messaging over phone calls. Now it’s expanding its use of the platform to find new employees—a move that has paid off by nearly doubling the number of “quality leads” it receives and reducing the cost per lead by 55%, Facebook says.

The 3PL worked with the recruitment advertising specialist Conversion Interactive Agency to develop a Messenger-based lead-generation campaign that targeted both current truck drivers and a “lookalike audience” that mirrored Cardinal’s own driver database. Cardinal then initiated instant-messaging conversations with qualified respondents, using the real-time texting platform to collect their applications and answer any questions.

Given the solid results of Cardinal’s initial Messenger-based recruitment campaign, the partners say they’re planning to stick with the program. “Cardinal and Conversion both agree that Messenger will play a big role in our recruiting efforts [into] 2020,” Dave Edwards, Cardinal’s senior vice president of driver development, said in a release. “The conversations that potential applicants are having with the Cardinal recruiters in Messenger are showing great value. They’re not only turning into leads, but into hires.” ;