Global Events Update - August 30th

ILA contract update: International Longshoremen union officials have planned a meeting next week for a “Wage Scale Committee Meeting” in NJ. On the ILA union website, the post states “While the main purpose of the Wage Scale Meetings will be to review demands the ILA makes to USMX, the president and chief negotiator of the ILA said the gathering will afford the union an opportunity to prepare for a potential coast-wide strike on October 1, 2024”. Despite this threat, most ocean carriers and port authorities remain calm and believe that the negotiations will conclude successfully before the strike date. With that said, there has been heavy front loading for east coast destination cargo as well as some re-routing of cargo to alternative destinations. We will continue to update information weekly as well as assisting with any specific questions regarding the situation

Congestion in Europe: The ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp remain under heavy congestion. The congestion is mainly affecting cargo arriving at the ports via barge or feeder vessels. Feeder vessels from origins such as Scotland are experiencing lengthy delays, with some feeders delayed by over 2 weeks. We have contingency options available to mitigate any delays and please contact WSSA should you need any information on the situation.

South Africa: Delays in Cape Town continue with operational issues due to heavy winds and vessel ranging. Port operations remain slow, and schedule delays are rampant. The good news is that four people who had been arrested for stealing and causing damage to port infrastructure were sentenced.

Chile: Winter weather is abating and the pass between Argentina and Chile has been open this week and the backlog of trucks cleared out. There was one vessel incident this week creating a cut and run on the Istanbul Express, which was forced to depart without loading all planned cargo. 

SOE/Strengthening Organic Enforcement: As of September 19, if you are not certified by a USDA approved certifier, you will no longer be allowed to declare organic products as “organic”. Should you have goods on the water, even with a valid NOPIC/exporter supplied organic import certificate, you must consider alternative plans for entry into the USA. Please contact WSSA for more information regarding your options, or if you need information on the SOE or a list of certifiers.

*photo shipsandports.com