Weekly Shipping Alerts October 30, 2020
Reefer Equipment from North Europe – trade balances of supply and demand for reefer equipment is another region-specific issues. Not all countries have the same inbound demand for reefer units, as is the case with France in particular. The issue has become critical there as shipping lines benefit from seasonal demand on loaded reefer moves (France/N.Europe to Asia, Asia – to Latin America, etc) over empty reefer positioning. For the current situation we are advising members to consider the following options:
Recommendations:
With a much longer lead time for reefer equipment bookings, especially to the West Coast Hillebrand is urging customers to:
- Consider shipping dry with Hillebrand insulation for the seafreight leg. For inland destinations to door, cross-docking options into heated trucks is a viable option through our Winter Wine Program.
- If you cannot adjust lead times to three weeks out, clearly indicate which orders are rush so we can prioritize those bookings.
Spain – Bilbao Port Strike EXTENDED
Strike actions at the port of Bilbao that started October 9th have been extended from November 9th to December 9th, 2020. Dockworkers will only work at half-capacity during morning and night shifts. The month long slow-down has impacted port operations, vessel calls, and container movements. For assistance with options for alternative ports of loading for pending shipments please contact your Hillebrand representative.
Oceania to USA – continued fallout from labor action at Sydney port terminals has impacted the container flows for Australia and New Zealand shipments. Ocean carriers applied congestion charges in October for export cargo as well. The largest impact has been for flexigrade container equipment in this area.
USA Port Congestion / Alert for LA/LB – import volume demand is impacting the entire logistics supply chain most notably for the LA/LB port complex. Terminal appointments are required for container drop offs and pickups, trucker capacity is maxed out, and container and chassis supply cannot keep up. If inbound containers cannot be moved in the allotted free time, additional demurrage charges apply. We encourage you to work with your local Hillebrand representatives to provide advance notice wherever possible to secure capacity and/or arrange alternatives.
Should you have any questions or need more information please contact your Hillebrand representative. You can also manage pending shipments, pickups, invoices, set up alerts and more on myHillebrand.