Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Re:	Italy - GRI in October, France Strike Sept 7th

Italy: General Rate Increase (GRI) for October 1, 2010

Be advised a General Rate Increase of USD 150 per 20 ft container and USD 200 per 40 ft container is announced for shipments from Italy to USA effective October 1, 2010. We will continue to monitor the situation and mitigate the impact of the rate increases whenever possible while maintaining space commitments from the carriers.

France: Nationwide Strike Announced Sept 7th, Update on port strikes

There will be a nationwide strike day on September 7th affecting all public sector workers, including public and freight transport by rail. All port terminals will be closed. JF Hillebrand France is reorganizing loading schedules to avoid disruption to export shipments to the US.

Note as well that dockworkers at Fos sur Mer port continue to strike 3 hours per 24hour shift, although congestion has eased slightly over the holiday period. There are still no negotiations announced to end the strike. Le Havre port is also following the same strike schedule of 3 hours per 24hour shift but with little to no impact to export operations.

For more information on the impact of any of the above to your shipping needs, please contact your sales representative directly.