Australian airline and freight carrier Qantas has announced that the company intends to take on shipments of high level nuclear waste in order to boost the airlines profits in the wake of rising oil prices .

To be carried in the belly space on Qantas passenger aircraft, the high level nuclear waste will be shipped from France, via Australia, before returning to the United Kingdom for reprocessing.

Speaking to the decision to carry nuclear waste, an informed Qantas source said that in today’s economic climate it was not in the company’s interest to refuse to carry nuclear waste, instead as profit margins fall, Qantas sees the carriage of Nuclear Waste as meeting the demand of potential clients and getting the most value for Qantas shareholders.

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In the wake of the terror attacks on the United States in 2001, much changed and much needed to change, however while security is important to our lives, so is the ability to live our lives in a society with as much freedom and with as little constraint as the modern world will allow.

I say this in reference to security that has been put in place for Australia’s Ports.  In 2003, the Australian Government created new Maritime Security laws, for, all intents and purposes, to prevent terrorists from striking an an essential part of the nations infrastructure.  While this is of course is an admirable thing to do, unfortunately, a perhaps unwanted outcome of the laws is that some Ports have now completely cut off access to the general public.

Specifically, I have found that the Bunbury Port Authority has done this more than most.  I live in Bunbury and have lived in the South West region of Western Australia for most of my thirty-four years, and it used to be that the general public had excellent access to the Port. Indeed I remember that I would fish from one of the Inner Harbour berths, or just go to the port to watch the ships.  I spent many an evening enjoying seeing the ships and watching the activities at the port.

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When in January it became apparent that I would be writing about the worldwide freight industry on this site, I was eager to do so, as the freight industry is very interesting, not to mention the transportation methods used by the industry.

Unlike my previous occupation, I have found that the Freight industry doesn’t offer up much controversy or potential for controversy, sure there are issues like the environment that are a concern to the industry and provide areas of disagreement, but believe me, controversy, I think not.

Anyway, that may well change today as I feel the need to address one press release that has landed in my inbox, it is from the UPS company and is regarding their Supplier Diversity Program.

This program, launched in 1992 by UPS, is as the company states “committed to providing procurement opportunities to diverse suppliers interested in providing their products and services to UPS”.  A broad statement that may well have merit as for sure, we are all different and diverse.

However UPS have announced that they would now include in this program, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) owned businesses through a partnership with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

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In writing a previous editorial about London’s Low Emission’s Zone, I pointed out that while important, the environment is not the only issue in town.

However, despite that being my view I am all too aware that it is not the prevailing view today as people, politicians and populists all get on the bandwagon with a tunnel vision that will no doubt help the environment, but at the detriment of others.

The latest occurrence of this as I see it is the decision by German coffee and retail chain, Tchibo.  In it’s wisdom, the company has decided to place pressure on its contracted container carriers and forwarders by demanding a reduction in emissions, with Tchibo wanting a 30% reduction of its own CO2 emissions by 2015.

Admittedly the company is trying to do the right thing by the environment on it’s own, but by placing demands on others, Tchibo has moved from being conscientious to controlling, and while I have always held a belief that in normal circumstances the customer is always right, there must be a limit.

Indeed some of what Tchibo is now pressing for, the reduction of ship speed to save fuel and the implementation of eco-friendly technology, has I imagine, never been the total prerogative of the customer.  Tchibo therefore has now entered that realm of wanting more than just the provision of services, they are demanding a right to oversee how those services are provided.

While some freight carriers may be happy to accommodate Tchibo’s demands, the end result will be increased costs, all of which will be passed onto the consumer. 

As ever, a balance needs to be found between environmental, financial and every day life issues, something that will not be accomplished by one-sided environmental demands.

Editorial by Findlay Osborn

Source: Lloyds List

The funny thing about the environment as an issue is that you would be hard pressed to find someone who actually thinks that we shouldn’t work towards bettering the environment. We all like to breathe clean, fresh air, and smog filled cities are in the very least, unpleasant.

Still, the fact that there are often rational and reasonable objections to the whims of environmentalists seems not to matter, a shame as often,  a reasonable and rational exploration of all the issues at hand is what is required.  Not the singular populist focus on the environment that seems all to prevalent these days.  A focus that often risks livelihoods or indeed damages them beyond repair.

Case in point is the latest effort from Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.  Mayor Livingstone has decided to institute a Low emission Zone for London, the result being that diesel powered vehicles, namely freight carrying vehicles will be penalised hundreds of pounds for the privilege of gaining access to London.

My immediate thought at seeing this initiative was, and one that has apparently been reiterated by the the Freight Transport Association, where is the money going to come from?

Indeed the Freight Transport Association estimates that some 10,000 vehicles will be effected, vehicles that will now either need to be refitted, replaced or their operators continually levied hundreds of pounds so they can transit London’s Low Emission Zone.  Anyway you look at it, the implementation of the Low Emission Zone is going cost, and cost plenty.

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In the state of Kansas, Lawmakers have been struggling with legislation to ban smoking in public places.  In order to give the legislation a better chance to become law, certain exemptions have been allowed, two in particular that pertain to the freight industry.

The exemption is that a ban on smoking would not exist in trucks and freight trains, an exemption that to my mind is interesting to say the least.

Now as much as an argument can always be made for personal freedom when it comes to smoking, and I don’t see how one could enforce a ban against say an owner-driver, the issuing of a blanket exemption for trucks and freight trains raises an important issue.

That issue is workplace safety, and the willingness of legislators in Kansas to seemingly write off the health and well-being of truck and train drivers in their state is just wrong. 

The drivers of trucks and freight trains are hard-working tax-payers who are as equally entitled to a safe and healthy working environment as anyone else.  Indeed, imagine  for a minute that instead of tobacco smoke, the substance at hand or “in-cab” was asbestos.  Would it be so acceptable to have exemptions for trucks and freight trains then.

I think not and I take this opportunity to urge Kansas lawmakers to reconsider their legislation, so rather than being left to an unhealthy and uncertain future, the hard-working train and truck drivers of the state can benefit from well intended, not to mention timely legislation.

Editorial by Findlay Osborn

Source: Salina Journal