Service Announcements: AAL, TNT and CenterPoint

AAL’s new Japan operation, TNT begins daily service to Istanbul, and CenterPoint builds a container yard for 3PL KW International.    AAL, a breakbulk and heavy-lift vessel operator, has started a new operation in Tokyo to focus on providing vessel transportation services to Japan’s engineering, procurement and construction sectors. The Japan office will be headed by Wolfgang Harms, in conjunction with his current roles as chief representative for China and deputy managing director of AAL.

   Express carrier TNT started a daily road service to Istanbul in response to increasing trade between Turkey and the European Union. The route links Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria, and on to all countries in Europe via TNT’s European road network. Transit times from Istanbul to key European cities vary from four to seven days, depending on distance.
   In Turkey, TNT operates a network comprising 26 hubs and depots, as well as a fleet of 328 vehicles, which connect Istanbul with other large cities, such as Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Bursa. The new daily road service is an addition to TNT’s existing overnight air express service to Istanbul.
   TNT also started a twice-weekly road operation between Sofia and Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, to extend its coverage of Southeast Europe. The service provides customers with the ability to ship pallets of up to 500 kilogram, as well as parcels, the company said. These shipments reach Pristina within one business day after departure from Sofia.
 
   CenterPoint Properties has finished construction of a container yard for third-party logistics provider KW International. The 3.14-acre yard is located on CenterPoint’s intermodal center in Savannah, Ga., about four miles from the Georgia Ports Authority. The facility includes a 900-square-foot office, 105 trailer-parking stalls and 12 car-parking stalls.