Week 111 In Global Logistics

BRICS Discuss Customs Cooperation – Heads of the BRICS member countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – met to discuss common customs issues and ways to extend cooperation. Representatives have agreed to unify their software in order to speed up customs procedures.

Read more from SouthAfrica.info

Locks Give Out at Kiel Canal – The Kiel Canal in Brunsbüttel, Germany is closed to all ships for the next two weeks due to broken locks. The canal connects the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and has never been closed before this incident.

Read more from The Motorship

EU Negotiates FTA with Thailand – The European Union has begun negotiations with Thailand on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in addition to their existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Thailand is the EU’s third largest trading partner inside The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and an FTA should deliver substantial economic gains.

Read more from European Commission

Port of Miami Recognized for Engineering Efforts – The “Port Miami 2035 Master Plan Project” has earned the port a National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies. The plan was created in anticipation of the Panama Canal expansion and does not just focus on the port, but also Port Miami’s relation to the surrounding communities and its Biscayne Bay locale.

Read more from Supply Chain Management Review