Covid-19 emergency in Kaohsiung Port as harbor pilot infected
The battle to control the Covid-19 outbreak in Kaohsiung Port has become more pressing after a harbor pilot added to the cluster in Taiwan’s main container port on 7 February, when many people returned to work after the Chinese New Year holidays.
Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) has ordered that all harbor pilots in Kaohsiung be tested after it turned out that the infected pilot did not follow testing rules.
All port workers are supposed to be tested every three days, but the pilot concerned did not do so in the six days before he tested negative on 31 January and positive on 5 February.
Container News
Canadian bridge blockade stretches fragile auto supply chain
Protestors blocking traffic between the U.S. and Canada to oppose vaccine rules are further stretching an auto supply chain already worn thin by pandemic-related labor shortages and a scarcity of chips.
Protesters halted traffic Monday night at the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, the busiest border link for goods moving between Canada and the U.S. and a crucial artery for the automotive supply chain. Traffic to Canada remained largely blocked Tuesday, though it began moving again, slowly, on lanes headed to the U.S.
It’s the latest obstacle for an auto industry that has been struggling to navigate a pandemic and global semiconductor shortage that have made vehicle production erratic. Smaller suppliers that have run out of Covid-relief loans and suffered shutdowns because of virus outbreaks are particularly vulnerable, said Alex Calderone, president of Calderone Advisory Group, a Detroit-area consultancy that works with distressed suppliers.
Supply Chain Brain
Ports of Long Beach, LA to wait until Feb. 11 to consider program
The two San Pedro Bay ports – Long Beach and Los Angeles – announced today that they will wait until Feb. 11 to consider the start of the “Container Dwell Fee.”
The two ports have seen a combined decline of 68% in aging cargo on the docks since the program was announced on Oct. 25.
The executive directors of both ports will reassess fee implementation after monitoring data over the next week. Fee implementation has been postponed by both ports since the start of the program.
Under the temporary policy, ocean carriers can be charged for each import container dwelling nine days or more at the terminal. Currently, no date has been set to start the count with respect to container dwell time.
AJOT
Rotterdam ranks first among port carbon polluters in Europe
Europe's clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) has published its ranking for European ports in terms of carbon emissions with the port of Rotterdam being on the top of the most polluting ports in the continent.
The port of Rotterdam is associated with almost 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year, putting it at the same level of pollution as the Weisweiler coal power plant in Germany, which is Europe’s fifth-biggest industrial polluter.
Antwerp and Hamburg come in second and third place, respectively, while three of the top 10 polluting ports, Algeciras, Barcelona, and Valencia, are in Spain.
Container News
Sri Lanka announces penalty waiver for boxes lying at port yards on forex shortage ground
Europe's clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) has published its ranking for European ports in terms of carbon emissions with the port of Rotterdam being on the top of the most polluting ports in the continent.
The port of Rotterdam is associated with almost 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year, putting it at the same level of pollution as the Weisweiler coal power plant in Germany, which is Europe’s fifth-biggest industrial polluter.
Antwerp and Hamburg come in second and third place, respectively, while three of the top 10 polluting ports, Algeciras, Barcelona, and Valencia, are in Spain.
Container News
U.K. government asks for comments on use of shore power at ports
In its latest effort to reduce emissions and speed decarbonization across all sectors of the U.K., the Johnson government is setting its sights on supporting the use of shore power at the country’s major ports. The government is launching a new program to explore the development of cold ironing capabilities saying that shore power will be vital to decarbonizing the maritime sector and improving air quality for local communities.
Maritime Minister Robert Courts is launching the new program to explore the rollout of emissions-cutting shore power at UK ports as a means to accelerate the UK’s ambitions to deliver a greener, more sustainable future for the shipping industry. Launching a “call for evidence” research initiative on shore power during his keynote speech at the annual UK Chamber of Shipping event, the Maritime Minister outlined how, as well as vital environmental benefits, stimulating the innovation of new green technologies will continue the revival of the UK’s shipbuilding industry, bringing private investment, creating jobs and revitalizing coastal communities.
Maritime Executive
U.S. labor, supply ‘nightmare’ seen extending into second half
The helter-skelter playing out on U.S. factory floors from labor and supply shortages, transportation bottlenecks and the coronavirus looks likely to persist into the second half of the year.
That’s the message from the heads of lumber producers and makers of air conditioners to homebuilders and apparel manufacturers. Recent corporate earnings calls have been replete with mentions of cascading and inflationary effects that are hampering companies’ ability to meet demand.
Supply Chain Brain
