Suez Canal Authority to apply increased transit tolls next year
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) will increase the transit tolls for all types of vessels by 15% during the next year and by 10% for dry bulk ships and cruise ships as of the beginning of January of 2023.
Adm. Ossama Rabiee, SCA's chairman and managing director has confirmed the authority's keenness to apply "a balanced and flexible strategy on pricing and marketing that serves the its own interest and that of its clients".
Container News
Port labor talks stall as worker disruptions grow
West Coast port labor talks are stalled as dockworker disputes hit the region’s big trade gateways, according to shipping industry officials who fear the negotiations could take months to resolve.
Some maritime executives had hoped the talks, which began in mid-May, would conclude in the early fall. Now they worry the negotiations could continue through the end of 2022 or into 2023, extending uncertainty that has triggered shifts in trade flows and complicated planning in supply chains.
“What you are starting to hear is people are losing faith,” said one shipping industry official.
The Wall Street Journal
Boxships delay Kyushu calls ahead of Typhoon Nanmadol
Container ships appear to have delayed their arrival in major ports in Japan's Kyushu island as yet another super typhoon bore down on East Asia on 18 September.
Typhoon Nanmadol, the 14th of the East Asian typhoon season, brought record rainfall of 300 to 400 mm of rain and wind gusts of up to 235 km per hour.
SITC Container Lines' 907 TEU SITC Nagoya, which had departed China's Dayaowan port on 13 September and was to have arrived in Hakata, one of Kyushu's major ports, on 17 September. However, on 18 September, SITC Nagoya diverted and took shelter in South Korea's Mokpo port. S&P Global's vessel-tracking data indicates that SITC Nagoya has provided 21 September as its new arrival date in Hakata.
Container News
FMC’S Bentzel explains proposed Maritime Transportation Data Initiative
U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel says that he hopes to win the approval from maritime stakeholders for new data transparency standards organized under the proposed Maritime Transportation Data Initiative (MTDI).
He hopes MTDI will mitigate any future supply chain congestion crisis such as the one the nation experienced between 2020 and 2022.
Bentzel made a presentation of his findings at the Intermodal Association of North America’s (IANA) Intermodal Safety Committee on September 12th during the IANA Intermodal Expo at Long Beach, California.
AJOT
Port of San Diego receives US$2.7 million grant for electrical upgrades
The Port of San Diego accepted an approximately US$2.7 million grant from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD), which provides incentive funding to support clean technology investments, especially in underserved communities.
The grant will partially fund electrical upgrades to power two new all-electric mobile harbor cranes that will help improve public health and reduce diesel particulates, a significant milestone in bringing cleaner air to the Portside communities of Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights, Logan Heights, and West National City.
Container News
Global dockers unions support Liverpool striking port workers
The workers' strike action at the Port of Liverpool began yesterday (19 September) and is expected to last until 3 October.
Today, on 20 September, global transport unions, such as the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), announced their support to 560 Liverpool striking dockers.
ITF and ETF said they fully support the struggle of the British trade union Unite dockers and other port workers in Liverpool taking industrial action for a decent pay deal.
Container News
China ports volumes trend downwards as lockdowns make impact
According to the latest data from FourKites, the country’s ports have seen overall dips in import and export ocean shipment.
Volume at the Port of Shanghai has started to decrease since the peak earlier this year, now down 15 per cent from the mid-July figures. The 14-day average ocean shipment volume at Shanghai is now down 5 per cent compared to 12 March (the day before lockdowns went into effect) but is up 3 per cent week-over-week for shipments tracked by FourKites.
Despite few positive signs, other Chinese ports have been trending down. Latest data to 2 September suggests that ‘All Other Chinese Ports’ are trending downwards, witnessing a fall of 30 per cent in change of average shipment volume compared to 13 March figures.
Port Technology
Graves Statement on Tentative Freight Rail Agreement
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) released the following statement regarding the tentative agreement reached by representatives for the freight railroad and the freight rail labor unions:
“The announcement of a tentative agreement between the freight railroads and labor unions is welcome news. This averts a complete shutdown of our freight rail system, which would have compounded our supply chain issues and further damaged our struggling economy.
While a complete shutdown is avoided for now, unfortunately damage has already been done. Since the tentative agreement was reached only hours before the strike deadline, railroads were forced to delay or completely shut down transport of essential goods, including agriculture and food products, chemicals, and other hazardous materials critical to our national interests. Restarting the shipment of these goods will take time and impact those dependent upon them. This is just another example of this Administration and Congressional Democrats lurching from one crisis to the next while the American people continue to feel the economic pain from their failed leadership.”
AJOT
