Spain: Bilbao Port Strike Activity Planned for August 3-23, 2020

Citing disagreement over labor policies with new terminal owners, dockworkers at Bilbao port have announced strike action for three weeks, from August 3rd to 23rd, 2020.  This is not a full closure; stevedores will work only every other hour, from 9-10AM, 11-12PM, 1-2PM, etc.  However vessel loading and unloading operations will be much slower than…

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Canada – Port of Montreal Strike

The Maritime Employers Association has announced that the longshoremen’s union will strike for a 72-hour period that will take place at the Port of Montreal next week from July 27th  ending on July 31st at 6:59 am. Should you have questions on pending shipments, please login to myHillebrand or contact import customer service at +1 732…

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EU Tariffs Filing Deadline 7/26

The deadline for filing comments on whether the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will modify, remove or replace products on list of products tariffed is July 26th.  If you have not done so already, we urge you to submit your comments.  To date 11,671 comments have been entered, less than half that were submitted for…

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EU Tariff Updates for Wine and Spirit Imports

Tariff Updates: Digital Service Tax Tariff Retaliation Spares French Sparkling Wines The US Trade Representative (USTR) issued the notification of the French products subject to 25% tariffs as a result over France’s new digital services tax.  The product list centers around cosmetics and handbags, but French sparkling wine are not included.  Here is the link…

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Hillebrand Monthly Bunker Levels for August 2020

Ocean carrier BAF formulas have not returned to normalcy as disruption in sailing demand, stringent capacity adjustment and fuel swings is still impacting shipping line’s overall financial health.  Given this environment and the fact that all carriers work off of separate fuel calculations depending on origin, destination and equipment type, we will extend the same…

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Los Angeles / Long Beach Pier Pass Increases August 1st, 2020

The West Coast Marine Terminal Operators Agreement (WCMTOA) announced its annual increase for the traffic mitigation fee (TMF), known as Pier Pass, that supports extended gate operations at Los Angeles and Long Beach.  The TMF will increase by 4.2 percent to match the increase in longshore wage and assessment rates that go into effect this…

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