Global Events Update: Logistics & Regulatory Alerts

Hamburg Port Strike:  The issues at the port of Hamburg continue. Terminals are scheduling time slots for trucks only during the afternoon and evening.  HHLA terminal will not be accepting trains for export containers until further notice as the storage areas are at capacity. Delays are reported at the terminals between 10 and 24 hours. Please let us know if you need more information.

Feeder vessel disruption in North Europe/UK: The feeder system in many areas in North Europe, Scotland and Ireland continue to experience delays and disruption, primarily due to congestion in the base ports such as Rotterdam. We are seeing significant delays in the Scandinavia system and from Grangemouth.  

South America:  The Chilean port of San Antonio continues to suffer from heavy weather. For the second week in a row, the Eurosal vessel had to cut and run, departing without loading all the cargo booked and waiting to load. This is creating a significant backlog and while this is primarily affecting cargo destined for Europe, it is creating congestion and can impact all cargo movement. Good news is the pass is open and 100% operative. The spring-summer season for the pass “Los Libertadores” began on September 1st, which means that it will be operational 24 hours a day, unlike the winter season, which is from 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM. 

South Africa: The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) is currently at a 2-berth operation due to a distressed vessel occupying a berth. The vessel lost containers at sea due to extreme weather and will be undergoing repair for a minimum of 14 days. Port Elizabeth also has a distressed vessel occupying a berth, making delays worse. Heavy delays are expected at both ports due to the distressed vessels and weather delays.

USA ILA update:  The ILA concluded 2 days of “wage scale” meetings in Teaneck, NJ  on September 4th and 5th.  While there are few details from the meeting, the key outcome is that the 300 plus attendees are fully behind ILA President Harold Daggett who has stated if there is no agreement on the new master contract, the workers will “hit the streets” at 12:01 am on October 1. We will continue to keep you advised as the negotiations unfold. Results of the meeting can be viewed here.

SOE reminder:  September 19th remains the firm date requiring all importers of organic products to be fully certified by USDA designated certifiers to allow entry of organic products. If you have product on the water or shipping soon and you are not certified, your options for importation are limited. Please contact WSSA for more information should you be in this position.

September market outlook into Q4: Many ocean carriers announced and implemented Peak Season or other surcharges, or GRI/Rate increases in September on the Transatlantic and South America trades to USA destinations.  Alison Leavitt, Managing Director of WSSA was a panelist on the JOC webcast on the Transatlantic trade on September 5th, where there was much discussion on the increases. All carriers are looking at Q4 as an opportunity to raise rates due to cargo volumes, the ILA strike threat, and various congestion points. Be aware and plan accordingly for potential logistics costs increases.

*photo:Shuttershock/safety4sea.com