North American Shipping Update 4/13/2020

By Jessica Brady | April 13, 2020

We’re here to help you navigate your shipments during these challenging times!   You can learn more about what to expect for shipping (highlights below) in the next few months and more details in the latest North American Market Update (April 13th)here.

Weather Alert

A major storm system will move through the East today bringing high winds and power outages.  The port of NY/NJ is on alert if conditions deteriorate operations may have to be halted. 

Latest updates from COVID-19 by country

  • Mexico –  Department of Agriculture deemed beer production essential last Friday, but the department of Health has reinforced it is not.  Please check with your Hillebrand contact for pending shipment information.  
  • Thailand –  bans alcohol sales from April 10th – 20th.
  • South Africa – wine exports permitted to resume as of April 7th.

Ocean carriers reduce capacity (cancel sailings) to offset losses   

The global drop in demand in major markets are forcing carriers to reduce capacity to avoid unsustainable rate drops.  We are seeing cancelled (blank sailings) on all major sailing routes, including the transatlantic in the next few month.  This will impact the available space for bookings on any given week, so we encourage you to plan ahead for longer lead times and protect cargo with Vinliner container insulation or pallet covers.  More background information on how the ocean carriers are adjusting can be found in this article from Freight Waves here.

Regulatory Information

We are still awaiting guidance from the US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) on TTB’s announcement of postponed tax payments and what that means for imported shipments, but in the meantime we encourage you to also work with your suppliers to secure allocation under the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) to take advantage of tax savings for this year.  More information on our website here.

For more information or questions please connect with your Hillebrand representative and you can login at myHillebrand to manage your orders as well.    

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