Date: Friday, November 5, 2010

Re:	France strike situation to improve

France - Strike situation to improve

Following the scheduled strikes this Saturday, workers at Le Havre will discontinue the strike action on each shift worked and the weekend strikes and workers at Fos sur Mer will revert to their initial strike action of one hour per shift. It will take several weeks to relieve the existing congestion.

• Saturday Nov 6 - unions have scheduled a nationwide general strike; congestion is expected the days prior to and following the strike.
   
• Thursday Nov 11 - Public holiday in France
   
• Monday Nov 22 - unions have called for another general strike but this is not yet confirmed
   
• Alternative port updates - JF Hillebrand France continues to offer alternative shipping options via Genoa, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Barcelona, Tarragona and Bilbao.
   
• Demurrage alert: due to the schedule disruption at the ports from strikes, containers may accrue demurrage charges at both French ports. Contractual free time limits for containers awaiting export are typically 7-15 calendar days for dry equipment and 2-6 calendar days for reefer equipment. Charges ranging from EUR 15 to EUR 125, depending on equipment type, duration at the terminal and carrier, will accrue when containers exceed the free time limitations at the terminals.

As a reminder, shipments via Fos sur Mer have been subject to ocean carrier congestion surcharges, effective early August as ongoing strike action has continued from July 5th.

We will continue provide updates on further developments, alerts on individual shipments affected as well as alternative shipping options where available. For status on any pending orders check with your operations representative at 732-388-0101 or login to AXIS for further detail.