Shipping Trade and Transport News 27th October 2015

 

Company News

 

United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), one of the fastest-growing shipping lines in the industry, is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Korean yards for another US $1-billion order
Hapag Lloyd reaffirm its decision to launch its initial public offering this year.  Hapag Lloyd anticipate the market downturn to improve during the next two to three years

Vessel News

M.V. Archimedes
Two more bulk carriers were arrested in Singapore on Sunday, according to the latest records from the Supreme Court of Singapore.  Information indicates Archipelago Shipping's Greece-flagged Archimedes was the fifth bulk carrier to be arrested in the city state this month.

M.V.  Yong Sheng

China’s biggest shipping company intends to launch regular services through the Arctic Ocean to Europe, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, as global warming makes the route viable and Beijing steps up its northerly economic ambitions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Port News

 

Port of Hong Kong

100 people were injured on Sunday when a ferry returning from Macau to Hong Kong collided with an unknown object, a police department official said. The injured were treated in five different hospitals in Hong Kong, though the nature and extent of injuries were not immediately known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customs UCC Updates

 

Union Cusotms Code  Adoptoin of the Delegated Act (DA and publication of the final text of Implementing Act (IA)

Extract from the publication

DELEGATED ACT

Article 11 – Conditions for the acceptance of an application Earlier versions of the text gave recognition to economic operators who approached customs stating that they could no longer comply with the conditions of a previous decision, by removing the period during which a new authorisation could not be granted.

This recognition has now been removed so offering no acknowledgement to economic operators seeking to be voluntarily compliant. Article 24(4) 2nd sub-paragraph – More favourable treatment regarding risk assessment and control (AEO)

The text previously allowed traders granted AEO status the option, on agreement with customs, to have documentary and physical controls of goods carried out at an agreed location (as opposed to just at the port). The text is, though, not clear that agreement between the trader and customs authorities is still necessary.

Article 32 and Annex 22-01 – Determining the origin of goods
The Commission intends to introduce the existing guidelines on origin (which are formulated as a series of rules) into the Delegated Act, making them mandatory.
Imposition of binding list rules pre-empts the negotiations in the WTO to seek common list rules to apply in every signatory Country (Harmonisation Work Program).

The Commission’s approach provides less flexibility to address changing situations, such as technological development in products and production methods.
Full details are availabe on request.

EU Trade News

The European Central Bank finds the weak performance of the French economy surprising, its chief economist Peter Praet told AFP in an interview, urging Paris to press ahead with reforms.
 There are "no taboos" for the European Central Bank when it comes to finding ways to push up the chronically low level of inflation in the euro area, the ECB's chief economist Peter Praet told AFP in an interview.
Britain will lobby the European Union and its member states to stop taxing tampons and women's sanitary products as luxury items, rather than necessities, a junior finance minister promised on Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felixstowe Trade and Enterprise College Apprenticeship Awards 17th March 2016

These awards will include COAST Levels 2,3,5 Mathematics, English and ICT

'The overall winner will receive two tickets for a mini cruise to Norway'

2015 Awards Ceremony

 

Enterprise House

High Road West

Felixstowe IP11 7JB

Telephone +44 (0) 1394 458500

email info@felixsowe-ac.co.uk 

 

 

Felixstowe Trade and Enterprise College is a trading divison of ITS Training Ltd

 

 

 

Shipping Trade and Transport News  further updates from previous post for 24th October 2015 

 

Port News

 

Port of New York

The New York Port Authority has approved a $56M ship to rail project between the Port of New York and New Jersey City

Port of Manzanillo  (Mexico)

Hurricane Patricia became the strongest hurricane ever known to make landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico after the centre of its eye crossed the coast of Jalisco state early Friday evening

Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated at 165 mph, still firmly within the Category 5 range on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Port of Lagos

Yesterday saw all port closed.

Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, yesterday (Oct. 23), shut the nation’s ports over alleged nine months unpaid wages to over 3,000 Tally Clerks and On board security men,

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Vessel News

 

Stevedore  Killed in Helsinki on deck of MSC Malin

A stevedore died after becoming trapped between two containers in the port of Helsinki. The incident happened on 22 October at Vuosaari Harbour: the main cargo handler, dealing with box and ro-ro operations, at the Port of Helsinki, which consists of three harbours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trade News TTIP

 

Today, the EU and US finished 11th round of talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Negotiators discussed all three pillars of what could be the biggest bilateral trade agreement in history, meaning market access for EU and US companies, regulatory cooperation and trade rules. The goal of the agreement is to slash trade taxes and facilitate trade between the two blocks with an aim to boost economic growth, create more job opportunities and modernise rules governing global trade. (full details available on request)

Malmström in Chisinau to discuss EU-Moldova trade cooperation

In wake of the difficulties Moldova has been facing, the stable trading framework that the free trade area provides has prevented a decline in trade between the EU and Moldova since last autumn. Today, the EU buys almost two thirds of the goods that Moldova sells to the rest of the world, and Moldovan exports to the EU are now on the rise

‘The way to get even more out of our relationship is by making sure that the free trade area is fully put in place,’ said Commissioner Malmström. ‘Moldova has already made good progress, but the reform process needs to switch to a higher gear. The EU will continue supporting Moldova on this path.’

Transport News

 

 Not putting clocks back could save 100s of children’s lives on roads

Stopping the clocks going back on Sunday could save hundreds of children’s lives on UK roads, says former Chief Constable Keith Hellawell. Persisting with British Summer Time throughout the whole year would significantly reduce road casualties, particularly to pedestrians, cyclists and schoolchildren, according to Hellawell, who was Chief Constable of both Cleveland and West Yorkshire

More than 1,200 children have been killed on the roads in the past 10 years and the peak time for pedestrian casualties is just after 4pm on weekdays when children are making their way home from school.

 

 Bunker News

 

 

 

 

Price movers

Sydney up $30

Luanda up $23.67

Zhanjian up $15

Rio De Janerio down $12.67

Los Angles down $11.81

 

Economic Growth in China Missed Forecasts in August

BEIJING — Growth in China’s investment and factory output missed forecasts in August, indicating a further cooling in the country’s economy that is likely to prompt the government to roll out more support measures.

The downbeat data followed weak trade and inflation readings, raising chances that third-quarter economic growth could dip below an annualized rate of 7 percent.

Fears of a global economic slowdown led by China have roiled markets worldwide in recent weeks, prompting speculation that the Federal Reserve may hold off on raising interest rates this week.

Shipping Trade and Transport News 24th  October 2015

Transport News

New Felixstowe Train for BIFT

Maritime Transport has secured a new service at is Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal. The daily container service runs between the Port of Felixstowe and BIFT. GBRf will operate 33 wagon trains which will increase to 45.

The service will  operate Monday to Friday.

Vessel News

Huge Backlog of Ships Waiting to Pass Through the Panama Canal, 5 days waiting time

There are a total of 129 vessels waiting.

Stena Germanica  

During the evening of the 22nd October a fire broke out on board the vessel  on its way to Gothenburgh. The fire was brought under control by the crew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vessel Arrest

M.V Mare Traveller

This vessel was arrested on Tuesday 20th October following instructions from Rajah & Tann Singapore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customs -  Are you ready for the changes? 

Customs updates for AEO/UCC 22nd October 2015

CCC to be replaced with UCC accross all member states from 1st May 2016

Implementation details for AEOCS and UCC including the lead into 2020 are avaialble from Felixstowe Trade and Enterprise College Education Committee by email info@felixstowe-ac.co.uk 

 

Managing the Transition

Because of the volume of legislative and consequential procedural changes that will be introduced with effect from midnight on 30th April 2016, the transition to the new UCC regime will require careful management so as to ensure minimal disruption to trade. At EU level, work is underway to craft specific legal provisions to facilitate traders in continuing with “business as usual” as they transfer to the new regime.

In the lead up to 1 May 2016, while for the majority of operators there should be a seamless transition from the old to the new regime, Revenue will be making individual contact with the holders of certain approvals and authorisations who face significant changes in existing practices.

The UCC will introduce a number of new concepts and modernise many existing procedures. Some of these changes will require the development of new IT systems and enhancements to existing systems which will be introduced on a phased basis between now and 31 December 2020. The process of defining the scope of these system changes is due to be completed by the end of 2015 and Revenue will communicate the details as further information becomes available.

What will the UCC Achieve?

• Modernise customs legislation and procedures;
• Provide greater legal certainty and uniformity to businesses;
• Increase clarity for customs officials throughout the EU;
• Simplify customs rules and procedures and facilitate more efficient customs transactions in line with modern-day needs;
• Complete the progression to a paperless and electronic customs environment;
• Reinforce swifter customs procedures for compliant and trustworthy economic operators.

What's Changing?

• Drawback will no longer be allowed in Inward Processing (IP);
• Processing under Customs Control (PCC) will be merged with the IP suspension procedure;
• Compensatory Interest in relation to the IP procedure is being removed;
• Type II Free Zones will no longer exist;
• Comprehensive Guarantees and Guarantee Waivers will be more widely available;
• One new criteria will be added for AEO status;
• Temporary Storage period of discharge will be increased;
• Increased harmonisation of rules relating to customs decisions;
• Level 1 Air/Sea Simplified Procedure for transit will no longer be available;
• Level 2 Air/Sea Simplified Procedure for transit will be replaced with the use of an electronic transport document as a customs transit declaration;
• New harmonised datasets for all declarations/notifications;
• Applications for the Temporary Importation procedure will be made electronically.

What's New?

• Centralised Clearance;
• Self Assessment;
• Binding Tariff Information will be binding on the holder;
• A common electronic application and authorisation process for customs authorisations;
• Certain Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) criteria will be used in assessing applications for all authorisations and simplified procedures;
• As required under customs legislation, all exchanges of information between customs authorities and economic operators will be made using electronic data-processing techniques;
• Registered Exporter System (REX) for claiming preference under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) scheme;
• Use of a reduced dataset on the New Computerised Transit System(NCTS);
• A new electronic system for storing and exchanging information relating to Proof of Union Status using T2L, T2LF and Goods Manifest;
• New safety and security rules allowing for the introduction of multiple filing at entry, compulsory commodity codes, provision of pre-loading security data for air cargo and weight thresholds to replace the value exemption.

Need to Know More?

HM Revenue & Customs Draf Report

Union Customs Code (UCC) - Transitional arrangements for the withdrawal of the 'earlier sale' facility.

 

1. Introduction

This Customs Information Paper (CIP) is to inform interested parties of the adoption by the EU Commission of the UCC Implementing Act regarding the transitional arrangements for the withdrawal of the ‘earlier sale’ facility (currently detailed in Article 147 of Commission Regulation 2454/93) and the projected timetable.

A further CIP will be issued in due course with details of the arrangements for final withdrawal of the ‘earlier sale’ facility. 

2. Background 

Under current EU legislation where there is a series of sales before the importation of the goods, any sale in the supply chain prior to the last sale which led to the introduction of the goods into the customs territory can potentially be used as the basis of the customs value. It has to be demonstrated to customs that the sale in question is a “sale for export” i.e. at the time of that sale the intended destination of the goods is to the EU and not to a third country.

3. Transitional arrangements

Despite the best efforts of HMRC, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the current EU position on the use of an earlier sale due to increasing pressure from the EU Commission to withdraw it and a general lack of support from other Member States.

After intensive negotiations a compromise solution is now included in the UCC text. A transitional period, applying until the end of 2017, will allow contracts to be signed before the entry into force of the Implementing Act later in 2015. This would enable existing contracts to be completed under the current business terms. 

The UCC text reads as follows;

Article 341

Transitional provision on transaction value

1. The transaction value of the goods may be determined on the basis of a sale occurring before the sale referred to in Article 128(1) where the declarant is bound by a contract concluded prior to ….[1]

2. This Article shall apply until 31 December 2017.

An importer may make use of the transition clause without prior agreement from HMRC. However, there must be a contract in place clearly specifying a start and end date to the contract. Evidence may be requested by HMRC either prior to importation or afterwards. The contracts need not specify the value of each expected shipment or consignment. Use of this transitional clause is restricted to contracts that are in place before the entry into force of the Regulation. . Publication is expected in late October-early November 2015.

NB: This provision concludes on 31 December 2017, regardless of the length of the contract in place at which time the earlier sales facility is formally withdrawn.

The UCC and the supplementing Commission Regulations will apply from 1 May 2016. Until then, the Community Customs Code and its implementing provisions continue to apply. 

Shipping Trade and Transport News 22nd October 2015

Vessels

M.V. Solarte  (Africa)

Reefer attacked by pirates

The "Solarte" was attacked by pirates in position 03 55N 005 26E, 100 miles west of Port Harcourt on Oct 19, 2015, at 8.30 p.m. The vessel was en route to Port Harcourt from Cotonou Benin. The pirates hijacked four crew members, including two Lithuanians and two Ukrainians.

19 sailors were on board the ship, comprising three Ukrainians and 16 Lithuanians. The pirates stole ship’s cash, destroyed equipment and kidnapped four crewmembers before escaping.

Trade News 

EU, Kosovo to sign accord on closer ties 'soon

 

(BRUSSELS) - The European Union is moving nearer to signing an accord with Kosovo on improved ties which could open the way to eventual EU membership for the small Balkan country, EU sources said Tuesday.
"We will have a decision soon," one of the sources said of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement which was initialled by the two sides in mid-2014

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after years of tension between the two in the fallout from the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

 

Chemicals  

Companies Directory - Chemicals and pharmaceuticals

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EU set to greenlight FedEx/TNT Express tieup

(SAN FRANCISCO) - The European Union is expected to approve FedEx's 4.4-billion-euro ($4.8 billion) deal to buy Dutch rival TNT Express, a key tieup for the e-commerce delivery business, the companies said Tuesday.
Brussels opened an investigation in July citing concerns the deal would lead to higher prices for consumers who are increasingly buying online and getting packages delivered directly to them.
"The internal deadline of the European Commission for issuing a Statement of Objections would have expired on 23 October 2015, but FedEx and TNT have been informed by the European Commission that no Statement of Objections will be issued," they said in a statement.

 

 

Shipping Trade and Transport News 21st October 2015

Company News

Hapag Lloyd has announced it is agreement to build five new vessels  from South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in April 2015.

Beached Vessels in October 2015

M.V. Tanto Hari - general cargo vessel (total loss)
M.V. Satrai - general cargo vessel
M.V. Araeo - oil and chemical tanker
MV Sea Czar- oil and chemical tanker beached at Gadani
M.V. Seal -bulkcarrier beached Chittagong
M.V. Arca Emerald - RoRo cargo ship (vehicle carrier beached Chittagong

Trade News

Malmström meets Ministers from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific, preparing WTO Conference.

Speaking in front of the ACP assembly, Commissioner Malmström reiterated the great importance that the EU attaches to the multilateral trading system and the Doha round. She expressed her disappointment that the lack of political will from many WTO Members makes it very hard to achieve a comprehensive agreement on all areas of the Doha Development Agenda.

The Commissioner highlighted the EU's readiness to work constructively in view of reaching a more limited but still meaningful agreement in Nairobi that will take full account of the needs of the most vulnerable and least developed countries.

Commissioner Malmström on TTIP and Trade for All at the College of Europe 

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström today spoke at a conference in Bruges on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations and her new trade strategy, "Trade for All". She outlined the economic and strategic rationale for TTIP, before acknowledging the main issues in the public debate.

That debate, she said, had helped shape our new overall approach, which is based on making EU trade policy more effective, more transparent and more in tune with European values. She concluded by saying that, "With this new strategy, Europe is engaging with the world, broadly and deeply. We are doing so in order to benefit as many people as possible… in an open transparent way to restore trust in trade… and in a way that is in tune with our values - values we share with many partners around the world, including the United States."

Bunker Prices 

 

Price rise in South America and parts of Europe however in most areas the trend is falling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doha Development Agenda what is it?

The main issues at stake are:

• Reforming agricultural subsidies
• Ensuring that new liberalisation in the global economy respects the need for sustainable economic growth in developing countries
• Improving developing countries' access to global markets for their exports

Thanks to its active engagement in the multilateral trade negotiations, the EU wants to boost the global Gross Domestic Product and creating a fair trade system for all countries, including LDCs.

Transport body proposed in FSB Wales 2016 manifesto

A single transport body with responsibility for roads, rail, buses and cycling in Wales is proposed among "radical" new measures from the Federation of Small Business.

Its assembly election manifesto includes creating something similar to Transport for London to create a "genuine integrated transport system".
It also wants an organisation responsible for supporting small firms.
The FSB said it was "deliverable" with existing Welsh government funding.
The organisation, which has 10,000 members among the 200,000 small and medium sized enterprises in Wales, wants parties to adopt its Transport for Wales idea.
The organisation - to be fully functioning within three years - would create an investment plan and manage a Wales-wide rail franchise.
It would follow a similar model to Transport for London including ticketing across services as with the Oyster card.
The manifesto also wants:

• A Wales Small Business Administration to loan money to firms, provide advice and handle public contracts. It would take responsibility for Finance Wales/Development Bank, Business Wales and the National Procurement Service.
• Councils to be given legal responsibility to promote economic development and regeneration, with budgets and staff transferred from the Welsh government.
• A radical overhaul of business rates and the introduction of better regulation.

The FSB said the measures would help small businesses grow and create more jobs.