Shipping Trade and Transport News 7th December 2015

Vessel News

M.V. EMS Majestic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"ship in danger of sinking in Dover Stait (received 23 mins ago)

The vessel enroute from Rotterdam to Sait Malo sent a Mayhday call at 09.09 today after the vessel starting taking in water. The vessel had severn crew on board and were in danger of sinking.

M.V. Hanjin Aqua

 

The vessel ran arground on the 4th December with 2303 containers on board. The vessel developed a portside list of 3 degrees

Port News

 

Port of Samsun

Turkey siezes four Russian ships close to the Black Sea port of Samsun

Trade News

October 2015 compared with September 2015 - Volume of retail trade down by 0.1% in euro area - Stable in EU28

In October 2015 compared with September 2015, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade decreased by 0.1% in the euro area (EA19) and remained stable in the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In September retail trade fell by 0.1% and rose by 0.3% respectively.

Shipping Trade and Transport News Updates for 4th December 2015

 

Bunker Costs are in decline as we move in to December which is good news for export/importers.

 

 

Details of costs in individual areas is available.

Industry alliance is to make LNG widely available as ships fuel in the United States.

 

 

Company News

 

Maersk Line announces a new direct service from West Coast South America to Japan which will offer a shorter transit time from San Antonio and San Vincente to Yokohama. The service applies to dry and reeefer cargo.  Further improved transit times is expected between Asia and west coasts of Mexico, Panama and Colombia. 

EU News published this morning

 

Eurosceptic EU member Denmark voted in a referendum Thursday to reject a government proposal to adopt the bloc's justice rules, amid concerns over handing more power to Brussels.

Transport

Breaking News

Strong Winds | Northern England

Road users in the North of England are being advised to check the weather forecast and road conditions before they travel today (Friday 4 December), Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December as strong winds are forecast for this region of the country. As a result of the strong winds Highways England has issued a Severe Weather Alert for high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes which are advised to take extra care when traveling due to the increased risk of vehicles being blown over.
Highways England, which is responsible for motorways and other major roads in England, is working closely with the Met Office to monitor weather conditions and maintain safe roads and reliable journeys.
Drivers are advised to plan for their journey before they set out, checking the forecast and road conditions and to leave extra time if travel conditions are poor, and to delay their journey if the weather becomes severe.
Up-to-date information on road conditions on England's motorways and trunk roads is available on the Highways England website at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic or by calling 0300 123 5000. For information on weather conditions, visit the Met Office website www.metoffice.gov.uk or listen to local radio. Winter driving advice can be found here: www.highways.gov.uk/winter.

Forth Road Bridge clsure causes 11-mile tailback published 39 mins ago The Bridge was closed by sstructural faults

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transport minister Derek Mackay said it was too early to say how long it would be closed but it would be "not just today".

Shipping Trade and Transport News 4th December 2015

Port News

Strikes will halt the operations at the Greek terminals.

The strike has been called by the two main labour units and will affect most public transport services from 6am 3rd4/th December.

Automated gates at Nhava Sheva port by DP World

The effect will be to speed up vehicle movements of the 28,000 vehicles that enter the port every day.

Sohar wins global award for state of the art Vale Terminal

The capacity is able to receive Very Large Ore Carriers - 400,00 DWT which requires a draft of 25m

Mumbai to have second port

The Vogayatan Group will commence the operation on Friday by laying the first stone at Mankhurd.

Laem Chabang plans a £111m project to improve efficiency and improve it s position as a trade hub for ASEA.

Shipping Lines

New Service Maersk Line from West Coast South America to Japan

This service will reduce transit times to include improved services from Ecuador, Bolicia and Peru.

 Legal Case

The principal sessions court in Tuticorin started on Dec 1

 

The case relates to the Seaman Guard Ohio which is being held at Tuticorin on charges of entering the territorial waters with arms and ammunition.

Teenage worker seriously injured

2nd December 2015

A teenage worker was seriously injured when a forklift truck he was driving overturned. The Nottinghamshire pet food company has been sentenced. Alpha Feeds Limited now trading as Grove Pet Foods employed the teenage as a factory operative and he was only 18 at the time of the accident. HSE investigations confirmed he had received no formal training in the safe use of a forklift truck.  The aware against the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 resulted in a fine of £18,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £1332.  full details HSE website.

A teenage worker was seriously injured when the forklift truck he was driving overturned. The Nottinghamshire pet food company in question has been sentenced.  Alpha Feeds Limited which is now called Grove Pet Foods employed the teenager as a factory operative. He was only 18 at the time of the accident, and a HSE investigation found that he was able to operate the lift truck under supervision, but he had received no formal training in the safe use of a forklift truck.
He sustained serious injuries including nerve damage and fractures to both legs, after the forklift truck fell on top of him. Grove Pet Foods Limited (previously known as Alpha Feeds Limited) of Grove Road, South Leverton, Retford, Nottinghamshire admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £1,332.
Sourced: HSE, 2nd December 2015
- See more at: http://www.rtitb.co.uk/news/001666.html#sthash.n0Ks99g7.dpuf

International Court Case

• Type of proceeding:Anti-dumping
• Product(s):Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
• CN(s):39076020
• Countries investigated:Australia, Pakistan, People's Republic of China  - This case is ongoing.

Trade News

The EU and Vietnam finalise landmark trade deal

The European Union and Vietnam today finalised talks for a free trade agreement (FTA), marking the end of the negotiating process. After the agreement in principle reached in August, today’s announcement follows the successful resolution of the few remaining issues on the table.

Update on TiSA talks

 The meeting relates to:
 TiSA aims at opening up markets and improving rules in areas such as licensing, financial services, telecoms, e-commerce, maritime transport, and professionals moving abroad temporarily to provide services.

TiSA is based on the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which involves all WTO members

 

Shipping Trade and Transport News 3rd December 2015

 

Vessels beached during the past week

 

Marions beached at Chittagong

MSC Challenger beached at Chittagong

Marionos beached at Chittagong

Go Pub beached at Gadani

Araevo beached at Gadani

Grand Princess diverted after fire vessel departed Honolulu yesterday

Lev Yashin under tow after engine failure  to Shumshu 

Stena Scandinavica containers to run on one propeller due to the lack fo spare parts.

Szafir five kidnapped sailors of the Polish ship are reported to be safe and sound.

Densa Eagle three crew injured as fire brakes out at Gujarat's Kandla Port

 

Port News

Mumbai to get a second port which will be a mid size terminal and  all weather access to multiple cargo

 

Trade News

 

Middle East

The political crisis in Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East have made it clear that the EU needs a stronger common foreign policy. We have a wide range of 'soft power' tools – including trade policy and development aid – and it will be the responsibility of the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to coordinate them better.
Those national governments who wish should also pool their defence capabilities, enabling them to participate in joint EU missions – as well as to avoid duplication of programmes and to save money

Objectives

• Responding faster to military threats, using new EU networks for defence cooperation.
• Creating more synergies among Member States in defence procurement.
• Setting up a permanent, voluntary EU defence force, which gets its resources from those member countries which choose to join.
• Bringing peace and stability to the European neighbourhood by continuing ongoing enlargement negotiations, notably with the Western Balkans while ensuring no further enlargement takes place over the next five years.

EU AEO/UCC controls why not enrol on one of Felixstowe Trade and Enterprises College half day seminars to keep up to date with the changes being imposed next year.  Contact information includingbookings:  Tel +44(0)1394 458554 or through our website www.felixstowe-ac.co.uk 'contact us' 

Vocational education and training works alongside you in a practical way to promote applied knowledge and understanding.

Shipping Trade and Transport News 2nd December 2015 (update)

Post by James Oliver via Linkedin.
I agree with James’s comments below.

When the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted amendments to SOLAS weight verification requirements in November 2014, it offered shippers two ways to obtain a container transport unit's (CTU) verified gross mass:
 Method 1: weigh the packed CTU

Method 2: weigh the cargo and all securing and packing material, and add the CTU's tare weight

Many shippers immediately supported method 1, considering the simplicity of the process compared to method 2.

We think this perspective misses the big picture, and will massively disrupt logistics flow.

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While weighing a packed container is simple enough in itself, we must consider that:

• right now, this can be achieved using equipment typically found at ports, not in warehouses
• therefore, shippers will most likely have their packed CTUs weighed at ports, and this causes another string of problems.

You can weigh a packed CTU using a weighbridge, crane, or spreader twist locks. Sounds easy, especially because port operators and/or carriers are already doing this. Here's the catch: trucks often carry more than one container, and most cranes lift in twin mode. The SOLAS amendments forbid estimation. So to get the accurate weight of a CTU using a weighbridge, extra containers must be unloaded from a truck, and deductions made for the weight of the vehicle, driver, and fuel. Repeat this process for every other container the truck is carrying

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Similarly, you can't determine a CTU's weight if a crane or spreader is handling two containers at once, unless the equipment is upgraded with weighing sensors that can detect each container’s weight (as a few companies are looking into). Note, however, that container cranes are used late in the process of getting containers onboard a ship, violating the IMO requirement for carriers to know each CTU's verified gross mass “sufficiently in advance”.

But technology advances and engineers always find a way. It's systems and infrastructure that are more difficult to adjust, and cause delays and disruption in the process.

 Disruption of Logistics Flow

Every day, hundreds of thousands of containers pass through ports. At Singapore port, the world's busiest, 60,000 containers are loaded and unloaded each day. But let's take a relatively small port as an example – that of Melbourne, Australia. In 2012/13 Melbourne exported 863,473 full containers. This equates to 2,366 CTUs a day that must be weight-verified.

Break it down further and you get 98 containers per hour or 1.6 every minute. If it takes 10 minutes to weigh a CTU, imagine the amount of time needed to weigh 2,366 CTUs – equivalent to 16 and a half days. Even if you use 10 weighbridges, you'd need a bit more than a day and a half – not counting the time you'd need to re-pack a CTU if it is found to be overweight. New Zealand-based Napier Ports believe weighing at the port might add 12 hours to the existing required time for the container to be on the terminal before the ship arrives.

"Imagine the amount of time needed to weigh 2,366 CTUs at port – equivalent to 16 and a half days"

Why You Should Choose Method 2

Now let's say you choose to verify the CTU's gross weight using method 2. Method 2 – calculating the sum of the weight of the cargo, all packing and securing materials, and the CTU's tare weight – has been deemed impractical for bulk cargo such as grains and liquids in flexitanks, and is also seen as requiring more time and hassle because of the calculation process. Without efficient technology and systems, method 2 shippers will incur delays by manually weighing each cargo load and all packaging and securing materials, and adding this to the CTU’s tare weight.

But method 2 has advantages that shouldn't be ignored, such as allowing you to:

• stack the cargo outside the CTU
• configure the load prior to ingress
• photograph the load prior to ingress to show condition pre-shipping
• weigh the load at the place of packing (e.g., warehouse)
• make changes to the load if required without having to remove items from the CTU
• distribute the weight of the load evenly throughout the container or properly relative to COG
• avoid transporting an overweight CTU to the port 

 

"Find equipment that's already part of your packing process but has the potential capability to weigh cargo"

To make method 2 a viable weighing option and avoid disrupting logistics flow, shippers need to find equipment that's already part of their packing process but has the potential capability to weigh. Examples include forklifts and mechanical container loaders like the Tynecat. In such a case, the only additional steps to take are adding the loads to the CTU’s tare weight (unless the loading equipment can do this, too) and getting a digital confirmation or a printout of the verified gross mass. Note that the equipment's weighing system must be certified for use in SOLAS weight verification.

Apart from speed, this method has the advantage of being safer, as you are not risking the lives of drivers and terminal workers by loading a potentially overweight CTU on a truck, carrying it on public roads, and unloading it at the port. Depending on the container loading and weighing system that you use, you can also avoid having personnel enter the CTU during ingress and egress.

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Accurate declaration of CTU weights benefits all parties involved in the transport of freight, from the originator to the receiver and everyone involved in between. The SOLAS amendments must be seen as enforcement of a responsibility that every party in the freight chain already acknowledges and must accept. While the IMO places the onus on the shipper to report a verified gross weight, each party must have checking methods in place to ensure proper weight distribution and compliance.

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SOURCES

SOLAS Chapter VI, Part A, Regulation 2

Chris Bain, “Changes to SOLAS Chapter VI - ‘At the Sharp End’” Presentation to Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, New Zealand Branch Conference 2014, at slide 6. Quoted in King, 2014. The Problem of Misdeclared Container Weight. Llm Seminar Paper, Laws 538: Maritime And Transport Law.

King, 2014. The Problem of Misdeclared 

Container Weight. Llm Seminar Paper, Laws 538: Maritime And Transport Law.

Shipping Trade and Transport News 2nd December 2015 

 

Port News

 

Port of Mobasa (vessels in port 25) - 2000 containers lost by cargo theft at Kenya Ports. Traders are puzzled at how the theft is taking place undetected. 

 

Laem Chabank -  The port has plans for a £111 million upgrade to improve efficiency as a trade hub for ASEAN.

 

Trade News - EU Commission Priority -The internet and digital technologies are transforming our world. This could contribute €415 billion per year to our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. 

 

It's time to make the EU's single market fit for the digital age – tearing down regulatory walls and moving from 28 national markets to a single one.

 

TTIP  EU - USA 1st May 2016

 

The EU is negotiating an ambitious and balanced trade and investment deal with the US. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will create new trade and investment opportunities for companies, big and small, and new jobs. For consumers, it will cut prices and widen choice, while keeping the EU's high standards for consumer protection, social rights and environmental rules. 

 

EU aim is to lower and remove customs duties to the US and at the same time cut red tape between the EU and USA

 

Full details are available on request including prospective seller/buyers' agents and distributors. 

AEO/UCC  1st May 2016 centralised clearance to be introucted 2020

UCC - Centralised clearance 2020

This is due to be introduced in 2020.
The scope of centralised clearance and exactly how it will work isn’t yet clear as it’s still the subject of negotiations. However, it’s expected that:

• a declaration will be lodged at an office in the EU member state which granted that authorisation
• the goods will be presented and imported in another member state

The current Single Authorisation for Simplified Procedures (SASP), which can be seen as a form of centralised clearance, will continue in its current form until centralised clearance is finalised.
However, if a SASP authorisation is combined with an EIDR authorisation, the EIDR restrictions will apply from 1 May 2016.
Centralised clearance is available to any operator as long as they hold an AEOC authorisation and meet any additional conditions that may be in place.

Centralised clearance operating models

It’s expected that there’ll be 4 possible models for centralised clearance. These are:

• full declaration
• entry in the declarant’s records with notification
• entry in the declarant’s records with notification waiver
• simplified declaration

Applicable VAT rate

Import VAT will be due at the rate applicable in the member state where the goods are imported, not where the declaration is made.

Self-assessment

This is expected to be introduced at a later date.