Archive for July 2021

Port of Houston – Closed for 2nd day Both Bayport and Barbours Cut Terminals at the Port of Houston will remain closed today and tonight July 28, 2021 while the port works to bring systems back online.  We are awaiting information if systems will be restored for a possible opening tomorrow and information for weekend,…

Port of Houston – Unplanned closure July 27, 2021Both Bayport and Barbours Cut Terminals at the Port of Houston were unexpectedly shut down today, July 27, 2021 according to local trucking providers that operate at the port.  We are awaiting official notification as to the cause and expected duration.  US West Coast Ports – ILWU…

The current levels of congestion in every stage of the supply chain means that containers are getting stuck in bottlenecks everywhere – at origins, on waiting vessels, at ports and trans-shipment terminals, rail hubs, warehouses, etc. As a reminder to shippers, effective August 1st, 2021, carriers will apply “Emergency Intermodal Surcharges and On/Pre-Carriage Congestion Surcharges” in the…

South Africa – Ports / Rail Temporarily ClosedThe South African Ports authority has reported their IT system has been compromised and as a result operations at all ports (Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban) and railway lines have been stopped. For customers with pending export bookings from South Africa, this will delay container positioning and…

Union Pacific will begin a 7 day suspension of rail service from US West Coast port terminals to Chicago.  This decision is intended to ease some of the port backlogs for the Chicago market and improve network fluidity.  The change will start Sunday July 18th and is expected to last about seven days. This applies…

The global shipping supply chain has no capacity today to handle any new transport disruptions (weather, port strikes, civil unrest). These events will unfortunately only add to the already extensive delays seen across the entire industry network. Here are the areas to pay closer attention to if you have pending or upcoming bookings. EuropeAll major…

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced a general rate increase (GRI) from Argentina (Buenos Aires) to US West Coast Ports and Vancouver Canada. Please note the charge and effective date as follows: Argentina East Coast to US West Coast / Vancouver​​​​​Effective August 1st, 2021 rates will increase by USD2,000 per container. Please reach out to…

Intermodal Surcharges and State of the Industry The biggest question is “when will it end” when shippers in all industries continue to experience massive freight delays and steep penalties for those delays. In case you missed it, here is a deep dive from Hillebrand’s global procurement team on what are the driving forces are behind the…