Shipping giant Maersk is launching a dedicated New Zealand coastal service to help strengthen the supply chain and improve vessel schedule reliability. It’s the first time the company has offered such a service in the country following 25 years of operation here. The service, Maersk Coastal Connect, will begin on 12 July operated with New Zealand crew. Two 2500 TEU …
Forest360 NZ log export market update
June is never a fun month in this game. We’re generally kidding ourselves that it’s going to be a dry winter or that we’ve had enough rain already and there can’t be much left, a bit like Jacinda hoping the covid debt is going to miraculously disappear. To top it off, June is generally the lowest point for export prices …
World’s first electric log truck rolled out
SCA has, together with Scania, has developed the world’s first electric timber truck with a capacity of 80 tonnes. The world’s first electric timber truck with a capacity of 80 tonnes has now been delivered to SCA. The vehicle solution developed by Scania in close collaboration with SCA and the research institute Skogforsk, is part of the transition to sustainable …
Fiona’s final forest safety blog
After seven great years this is my last Safetree blog. What an experience it’s been overseeing Safetree/FISC’s growth from a recommendation in the 2014 Independent Forestry Safety Review to an established organisation with a focused work programme agreed by key stakeholders. The achievement I’m most proud of over those seven years is the role Safetree/FISC have played in helping the …
Heavy transport fleet de-carbonising with hydrogen
A new partnership is helping one of New Zealand’s largest heavy transport fleets decarbonise with hydrogen technology. New Zealand transport company H.W. Richardson (HWR) is partnering with Christchurch-based zero emissions technology firm Fabrum on the initiative. Fabrum is developing and deploying an end-to-end scalable hydrogen refuelling solution for HWR to enable fleet-ready access to hydrogen. It will help HWR’s plans …
Self-driving robotrucks rolling onto US freeways
After lumbering through a gravel parking lot like a big blue bull, one of Aurora Innovation Inc.’s self-driving truck prototypes took a wide right turn onto a frontage road near Dallas. The steering wheel spun through the half-clasped hands of its human operator, whose touch may not be needed much longer. Fittingly for Texas, these Peterbilts are adorned with a …
Before chainsaws – hand felling monster trees
Before chainsaws were invented, the logging industry in the United States & Canada was a seriously challenging occupation and we are only talking about 125 years ago. In the Pacific Northwest there were forests full of monster trees and cutting them down was done by hand. Check out the length of the two-man hand saw and heavy-duty axes above that …
Launch of two firsts for the NZ transport sector
New Zealand’s Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods celebrated the launch of two firsts for energy decarbonisation in the transport sector in New Zealand; an electric milk tanker and a hydrogen truck, made possible with the help of Government funding. New Zealand’s (and possibly the world’s) first electric milk tanker is entering Fonterra’s fleet and Hyundai and NZ Post …