Archive for November 2020

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, public establishments have to be closed on Monday, November 30th, 2020 and Monday, December 7th, 2020.  Customs houses will be closed and it will not be possible to clear and load any cargo unless done in advance. Please note that Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 and Tuesday, December 8th, 2020 are public…

NASA and Hillebrand USA offices will be observing the following holiday schedule next week: Wednesday November 25th – early closing (2 hours) Thursday and Friday November 26-27th – all offices and warehouses closed Most USA deep sea container port terminals will be closed on Thursday November 26th, but open on Friday November 27th.  The exception…

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced a new equipment imbalance surcharge from Italy and Spain to the USA effective December 9th, 2020.  The charge for US destinations is as follows: USD50 per TEU from Italy to the USA USD75 per container from Spain to the USA NASA continues to work with ocean carriers to minimize…

The strike that started last Friday by workers at the at San Antonio Puerto Central terminal has ended.  Operational activities resumed today at 8AM local time and cargo receiving is being adjusted by each carrier right now to minimize the disruption.  Should you have questions on pending shipments, please login to myHillebrand to view updated…

Last Friday workers went on strike at San Antonio Puerto Central terminal which has affected the operation of scheduled vessels and the cargo schedules.  The grievance stems from workers requests for emergency economic assistance due to the pandemic, but there is little clarity or information on the duration of the protest. Our shipping partner Hillebrand…

There has been no shortage of shipping challenges this peak season – we have them all: port congestion at origin and destination from demand or labor issues, imbalance of containers at origin especially for reefer equipment or flexi grade units, chassis supply shortages, and new tariffs on USA exports.  More than ever we have to…

The New Zealand container supply chain has been severely impacted by port disruptions and vessel delays at both the Sydney and Melbourne ports.  Vessel delays in Sydney are still averaging 15-18 days and the situation, while slowly improving, is going to take time.   The disruptions have not only affected the carrier schedules for exports of…

Europe makes its move with tariffs after a recent World Trade Organization ruling over US illegal subsidies to Boeing.  The case allowed the European Union to move forward with tariffs on approximately $4 Billion worth of US goods.  The announcement came today that effective November 10th, 2020 the EU will apply a 25% tariff on…

The current surge on the Transpacific trade inbound from Asia is not only impacting import loads (see previous post here), but also export moves.  The US Agricultural Transport Coalition recently held a workshop on complaints they are receiving from American exporters about shipping lines refusing or rolling bookings, and changing receiving windows at ports, mostly…