Jun 16, 2021
— American politicians are discussing taking drastic action to force global liners to take all US export container bookings. A Republican and a Democrat have pitched the idea to the US House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, claiming yesterday American exporters are being discriminated by carriers who are rushing to send their empty boxes back to Asia rather than wait for American exporters – led by the agricultural community – to fill them up.
Jun 16, 2021
— The Panama Canal has increased the maximum allowable length for commercial and non-commercial vessels transiting the neopanamax locks to 370.33 m, up from 367.28 m. The increase means that 96.8% of the world’s fleet of containerships can now transit the canal.
Jun 14, 2021
— What if a federal regulation was passed, and no one complied? That’s the awkward situation the industry finds itself in, with the Canadian electronic logging device (ELD) mandate that took effect June 12.
Canada’s ELD mandate requires carriers to use a third-party-certified ELD, a list of which will be posted to Transport Canada’s website. However, no devices have been approved to date. That doesn’t mean the regulation is being postponed. It just means there will initially be no way to comply.
Jun 10, 2021
— The availability of containers at southern Chinese ports continues to deteriorate as carriers omit calls due to a wave of Covid outbreaks in Guangzhou province. According to the latest data from Container xChange, the ports of Yantian, Shekou and Nansha have been hit worst by the box shortages.
Jun 10, 2021
— UK hauliers have been warned about meeting their common transit convention obligations, after it emerged some were failing to comply with post-Brexit rules. The British International Freight Association reiterated the need for CTC compliance after discovering several members were failing to present transit accompanying documents at an office of destination where transit movements end.
Jun 9, 2021
— The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it is accepting applications from qualified members of the international trade community wishing to serve on its newly formed National Shipper Advisory Committee (NSAC).
Jun 9, 2021
— This year’s moving season for military personnel and their families is in high gear, and some troops are already feeling the effects of stretched capacity in the moving industry. IAM's Dan Bradley said that a variety of factors are causing the situation of stretched capacity. He’s seeing instances earlier this year of companies having to “turn back” moves to TRANSCOM they had previously accepted and scheduled for service members because of unforeseen problems with labor or other issues.
Jun 9, 2021
— Road freight lobby groups have renewed calls for government support to tackle the driver shortage crisis, as research revealed European capacity hit a three-year low last month.
Jun 8, 2021
— South China’s port congestion has gone from bad to worse – delays at Yantian are spilling over to nearby Shekou and Nansha. When the bottleneck began, Hutchison-run Yantian International Container Terminal blamed out-of-whack shipping schedules for suspending laden export operations. Since then, multiple shipping lines have blamed Covid-19 for causing the poor port productivity in the Pearl River Delta.
Jun 7, 2021
— Half of the roughly 20 tropical cyclones expected to form in the western Pacific Ocean through September this year are predicted to hit land in east Asian nations, forecasters said on Friday, making for a season that is busier than usual. Such storms have wrought havoc running into damages of more than $175 billion across Asia in the past decade, international disaster database EM-DAT shows.
Jun 7, 2021
— UK Customs is “looking down the barrel of a potential nightmare” as a delay on the requirement to submit declarations nears its end and the country still lacks sufficient resources to cover the backlog.
Jun 4, 2021
— Hobbled by growing congestion at Chinese export gateway Yantian and key receiving terminals such as Oakland and Hamburg, the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index shot up by another 3.3% today to hit new records. The box spot index operated by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange climbed 117 points to close the week on 3,613 points, up 157% year-on-year.
Jun 3, 2021
— Pro-Palestinian protestors have claimed victory in turning a ZIM ship away from the Port of Oakland in California. The organisation’s ‘Block the Boat’ campaign aims to prevent Zim Integrated Shipping Services from docking anywhere during an ‘International Week of Action’ that will end on June 9.
Jun 3, 2021
— A giant gantry crane collapsed onto another crane today at Taiwan’s largest port as a containership came in too close to a moored, smaller vessel while coming in to dock.
Jun 1, 2021
— Port congestion at the container hubs of North Europe is continuing to impact alliance networks and further disrupt already stretched supply chains. The 2M partners, Maersk and MSC, advised customers today their AE7/Condor Loop 4 would omit Hamburg for the next four weeks to discharge cargo at Bremerhaven.
Jun 1, 2021
— South Korean flagship liner operator HMM has substituted the 1,800 teu multi-purpose vessel HMM Dubai, normally used to carry heavylift & project cargo, to offer an extra loader service to the US. This was one of 25 extra loader services from HMM since August 2020: 14 to Los Angeles, five to the US east coast, three to Russia, two to Europe and one to Vietnam.
May 25, 2021
— This morning the vessel suffered an explosion, all crew have evacuated and at least eight containers, some feared to be containing acid, have tumbled into the sea, with authorities issuing swimming bans nearby.
May 24, 2021
— Cyclone Tauktae has forced the Indian port of Pipavav to shut, putting increased strain on the country’s shipping networks. Pipavav, operated by APM Terminals, said it had declared force majeure and would suspend operations until 1 June, following the cyclone making landfall last week along the coast of Gujarat in the north-west.
May 21, 2021
— Ongoing congestion at US ports and disruption to the ocean shipping network is costing shippers “billions in higher shipping costs, demurrage and detention charges, and lost business,” said NITL in a statement.
May 21, 2021
— The headlines last August and September blared: “Trans-Pacific rates are going crazy.” “Rates are on fire.” “Records shattered.” Oh, what cargo shippers would give to pay the rates they paid eight or nine months ago. Those earlier records were repeatedly shattered. It just happened yet again.
May 21, 2021
— The Sri Lankan Navy went to the aid of the Singapore-registered containership to help put out the fire on the afternoon of 20 May some 9.5 nm Northwest of Colombo port.
May 20, 2021
— Singapore authorities this week announced a reduction in the number of workers permitted in a home at one time as the country announced a further tightening of restrictions to try and control the spread of COVID-19.
May 20, 2021
— The increasing demand and short supply of treated wood has created a significant shortage of lift vans for moving companies in both North America and Europe with U.S. lumber importers looking to Europe to help solve the crisis.
May 20, 2021
— As economies continue to rebound, global container trade is expected to grow by 5.8% this year, according to a forecast today from Alphaliner. However, Alphaliner’s analysis suggests that in fact the opposite will happen, and “the long-term trend shows a continued decline in the teu-to-GDP growth multiplier, linking container traffic to global economic growth”.
May 19, 2021
— Currently, all persons entering the U.S. from an international destination via plane, (including U.S. citizens and those fully vaccinated), are required to have and present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 3 days prior travel, OR documentation of recovery from COVID-19 within the past 3 months.
May 18, 2021
— The new terminal (BCH), capable of handling more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo a year, will be the largest dedicated air cargo facility in the Baltics, at an initial size of 6,000 sq metres. Construction will start next year, and end in early 2024.
May 14, 2021
— As the US, Netherlands, Australia and other nations begin to roll out vaccines to all seafarers, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published a Vaccination Roadmap framework to help establish vaccination hubs dedicated to seafarers across the world, alongside other major maritime NGOs.
May 10, 2021
— The Bangladeshi government is to double the number of off-dock depots in Chittagong to handle growing numbers of export and import containers and reduce the pressure on the port yard.
May 7, 2021
— No American boxport is among the top 50 most efficient in the world, a new study reveals, in another damning indictment on the lagging state of US maritime infrastructure. Released this week, the Container Port Performance Index 2020 (CPPI) ranks 351 of the world’s container ports based largely on dwell time, seen as a reflection of the ports’ processes and infrastructure.
May 6, 2021
— IAM President Charles White signed on to a joint letter to congressional leaders, urging them to reinstate the moving expense tax deduction effective Jan. 1 of this year, and also asked them to not increase corporate or individual tax rates at this time.
May 6, 2021
— A year into the Covid-19 pandemic, after much speculation about emptied downtowns and the prospect of remote work, the clearest picture yet is emerging about how people moved. There is no urban exodus; perhaps it’s more of an urban shuffle.
May 6, 2021
— Estimates suggest 200,000 of the world’s 1.5m seafarers are still working beyond their contract levels, but with India, home to the world’s third largest source of seafarers, now made off limits by many jurisdictions, the workforce at sea is set to be stretched even more thin.
May 4, 2021
— The Maersk 40ft container consignment arrived at Felixstowe, UK, on 2 March, after its departure from Yokohama, Japan in January, having crossed Russia by both land and sea.
May 4, 2021
— Nordic construction and engineering company Peab has secured a SEK249m ($29.5m) contract from SCA Logistics to build a new container port adjacent to Tunadal Port in Sundsvall, Sweden in order to meet the growing demand for paper pulp and sawn wood products.
May 3, 2021
— Singapore has extended its travel ban across south Asia as soaring cases of Covid-19 create huge problems for crew changes. Having already instituted a ban on anyone coming to the Southeast Asian republic who had visited India within the past fortnight, the ban has now been extended to include Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
May 3, 2021
— Drewry believes there is sufficient equipment in the fleet to support trade and its growth, it is just that the containers are in the wrong places. Meanwhile, demand for new equipment continues to soar, and not just to cater for demand – as general rule, containers have a 15-year life and a large tranche of boxes delivered between 2005 and 2009 are coming to the end of their operational lives.
Apr 30, 2021
— Liberal and Conservative members of Canada’s federal government teamed up this week to pass legislation through the House of Commons to get striking Port of Montreal dockworkers back on the job. During the hours-long debate on the bill, members of the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party voiced their opposition to forcing the longshoremen to end their strike. On Thursday, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) added its voice to the protest.
Apr 29, 2021
— Vessels are waiting up to five days for a berth at Chittagong port, adding to the woes of importers during lockdown and the month of Ramadan. Port officials say during Ramadan, working hours at the port have fallen, resulting in less productivity and longer queues for an unloading window. Previously, vessels berthed within two days of arriving at the port area and, normally, ships can unload boxes and reload within 48 hours. This has now increased to 72 hours.
Apr 29, 2021
— The leased owner-operator model in California suffered a severe blow Wednesday as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an injunction that had exempted the trucking industry from state’s AB 5 law and the ABC test for determining validity of any independent contractor classification.
Apr 28, 2021
— Federal Labor Minister Filomena Tassi on Tuesday tabled a bill to put an end to the strike involving 1,150 longshoremen at the Port of Montreal. The dock workers have been on strike since Monday morning. The legislation is set to be debated Tuesday afternoon.
Apr 26, 2021
— A general strike at the Port of Montreal has begun with more than 1,000 longshoremen, affiliated to the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local (CUPE) 375, walking off the job at 7 a.m. on Monday, CityNews Montreal reported. A mediation session was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
Apr 20, 2021
— The knock-on effects of the blockage of the Suez Canal is likely to impact North Europe supply chains until June. Container hub ports that used the week-long lull from ship arrival delays to prepare their landside facilities for the box onslaught are now “full to the brim”, according to a carrier source.
Apr 20, 2021
— Global freight rates will remain high in the short term, but will moderate in the longer term once shipping supply-chain disruptions are cleared and more new ships are deployed, Fitch Ratings says. Fitch says demand for container shipping is high due to the mismatch between increased pandemic-induced trade and operational disruptions to the shipping supply chain, such as container box shortages and port congestions.
Feb 9, 2021
— Successful organizations in the global mobility industry depend on strong leaders prepared to tackle strategic challenges today and in the future. Leadership teams should be made up of professionals with different backgrounds and experiences who bring varied viewpoints to the table. IAM’s Leadership Alliance Program will be designed to help individuals enhance their leadership skills and help organizations build dynamic leadership teams.
Nov 23, 2020
— FMC approved a Supplemental Order that expands the authority of Fact Finding 29, “International Ocean Transportation Supply Chain Engagement”. Commissioner Dye will lead the FMC's efforts into further investigation of ocean carriers operating in alliances, focusing on the Ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Specifically, the Commission will review policies and practices related to detention and demurrage, container return and container availability.
Apr 30, 2020
— On Tuesday, TRANSCOM J9 held their latest Stop Movement call with Services and industry representatives. A number of different issues were discussed.
Apr 10, 2020
— GAO released their long-awaited report on their assessment of DoD’s Personal Property Program (DP3) and implications of transitioning to a single move manager under the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC).
May 24, 2019
— This is the eighth in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
May 17, 2019
— This is the seventh in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
May 10, 2019
— This is the sixth in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
May 3, 2019
— This is the fifth in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
Apr 26, 2019
— This is the fourth in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
Apr 19, 2019
— This is the third in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
Apr 12, 2019
— This is the second in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
Apr 5, 2019
— This is the first in a series of op-eds that IAM is running to shed additional light on problems associated with privatizing the household goods program to a single source contractor.
Mar 29, 2019
— USTRANSCOM Public Affairs published a press release highlighting GEN Lyons’ meeting with CEOs from various moving companies who support DoD household goods movement, and a separate meeting with moving industry trade associations. The press release is not an accurate account of the events of those meetings. Industry attendees believe the tone of the press release implied industry’s support to the general’s decision to award a contract to a single provider. To be clear, most of DoD’s current household goods service providers do not support this initiative.
— Chuck White and Brian Limperopulos host a panel discussion with Jim Wise and Bryan Vickers of Pace Consulting regarding preliminary election results and the possible impacts the election and other related political initiatives may have on the moving industry.
— As government instructions that restricted moves to exceptional cases expires on May 11, the French moving associations and Unions have published an industry directive for professional moving companies to return to work after that date.
— According to a decree adopted on March 9th by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte restricting the ability to move across the country affected by COVID-19, freight is considered an economically viable activity and drivers are allowed to enter, exit and move goods in the designated quarantine areas for the purpose of transporting, loading and unloading of goods.
