Port News

The ports of Houston, Mobile, and New Orleans will likely find the strong growth they enjoyed in 2019 difficult to replicate this year as US ports confront the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on supply chains.

Under Indian government directives, terminal stakeholders have stepped up gate activity in recent days in order to avert widespread congestion developing.

Officials at the Port of New York and New Jersey say they don’t expect port marine terminals and area warehouses to experience as much of a space crunch as they and other East Coast ports were anticipating as cargo from China increases over the coming weeks.

It was a solid first quarter for Antwerp, but the production and supply chain disruption being caused by COVID-19 will be felt at the international hub in the second quarter.

The head of the Pacific Maritime Association is instructing members to report all health incidents through an online portal after ILWU workers refused to enter Terminal 18 Monday, citing fear of coronavirus contamination.

A coalition of 80 agricultural shippers is urging the Trump administration to get involved in the detention and demurrage debate now before the Federal Maritime Commission, saying the issue is even more important now amid supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Bangladesh will waive Chittagong port fees as yard storage approaches 92 percent capacity, but carriers are putting shippers on the hook for reefer-related charges.

The Alabama State Port Authority has picked an industry veteran with experience in operations at the Port of Oakland and working at ocean carriers to lead the rapidly growing Port of Mobile into the future.

California Trucking Association executive told JOC webcast last week that the issue of driver classification will continue to be the focus of legislation at the state level and is becoming even more complex even as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California is expected to rule on AB5 this summer.

BCOs and drayage truckers need to document unreasonable detention and demurrage charges, but also not contribute to the problem, speakers toldl a JOC.com webcast.

Hapag-Lloyd says it will no longer absorb a contentious per-container charge levied on ocean carriers by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to raise tens of millions of dollars for road, rail, and other improvements.

The Chittagong customs office is open just two hours a day during the lockdown period and is only releasing cargoes carrying food and medicines, meaning containers carrying non-essential goods are backing up in storage.

The risk in the coming week is that more US retailers and manufacturers fail to pick up containers because warehouses are full or closed due to not being deemed essential service providers responding to coronavirus disease COVID-19.

The Port of Savannah will be closed to truckers on Saturdays this month due to blank sailings and BCOs unwilling to retrieve containers with stores and factories closed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and its largest tenant, GCT Canada, agree that Vancouver risks a scenario in which marine terminals will be clogged within roughly 10 years, but they disagree on how to add capacity.

A steep drop in cargo through Mexico’s ports in March is just one of several factors roiling the country’s logistics sector, which may see low freight volumes for months, executives say.

APM Terminals Mobile is betting that a just-completed $50 million expansion will enable the terminal to more easily schedule big ships and handle rising cargo volumes.

Enforcement of California’s AB5 worker classification legislation as it applies to trucking will remain suspended for now, which means that drayage operators can continue to call upon owner-operators to haul containers at the ports until oral arguments in the case are heard this summer.

The Federal Maritime Commission will engage stakeholders on how it can maintain cargo fluidity in the supply chain during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in a bid to avoid disruption.

JNPT’s own terminal has suspended ground rent charges until March 31, while PSA’s Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals (BMCT) is offering an additional three free days.

With information on ISPM 15 violations still difficult to come by, shippers are investigating and educating wood packaging materials (WPM) makers, increasing requirements for heat treatments, and turning to non-WPM materials for dunnage.

Pressure is building as some shippers fail to pick up containers because warehouses are full or closed due to not being deemed essential service providers responding to COVID-19, or because retailers have requested delayed deliveries at distribution centers.

The Port of Charleston will have a sharp decline in roll-on, roll-off volume next month because automakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo have shut plants through mid-April to slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Longshore unions continue to assign work through hiring halls on the East, Gulf and West coasts as the unions balance the need for safety measures that protect workers from COVID-19 with the demands of keeping ports open and efficient.

Coronavirus-related store closures and a tight New Jersey industrial real estate market have prompted the Port of New York and New Jersey to prepare for possible supply chain disruptions as cargo volumes from China rebound.

ICDs in January raised container handling charges, but shippers and container lines balked at the increase, which eventually led to the service halt.

With 30 percent of its containerized imports tied to China, the sole container terminal at the Port of Baltimore will close for two more days in March due to low cargo volumes from the coronavirus-afflicted nation.

Terminal operators in the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland are adding an extra hour between the day and night shifts in order to sanitize equipment, but they say the move should not cause operational disruptions.

The Port of New Orleans will use the funds to improve the efficiency of the internal New Orleans Public Belt Railroad by increasing its capacity to switch, interchange, and store rail cars.

Judge Michael H. Simon will contact the ILWU and ICTSI about setting up a new trial to determine the amount of the award.

Workers at ports, warehouses, and trucking companies are receiving exemptions from state “stay-at-home” mandates because they are judged as essential to the US supply chain.

Despite the expected decline in throughput due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the South Carolina Ports Authority says work shifts and hours will not be reduced, nor will restrictions be imposed on empty returns.

A preliminary assessment by the Port of Montreal predicts cargo volumes could fall as much as 13 percent in 2020, in a sign of how the Chinese slowdown continues to disrupt supply chains even as ports prepare for a drop in cargo due to Europe’s economic slump.

The 23-hour shutdown of two Houston container terminals spotlighted a potential new risk of disruption for all ports as they already face the possibility of coronavirus-related supply chain disruptions such as blank sailings, an excess of containers, and cargo surges.

A reprimand from Indian officials comes after the Container Shipping Lines Association urged local appeals courts to challenge a customs ruling permitting shippers to pay terminal handling charges directly to terminal operators.

Shipping and logistics executives said Tokyo is seeing healthy freight volumes partly due to a cargo rush ahead of the end of Japan’s fiscal year and a rise in shipments ahead of the Tokyo Olympics that are due to start July 24.

Ports in Europe are concerned that closing borders across the continent to stop the movement of people will have a knock-on effect on the free flow of cargo essential to logistics networks.

Ports, terminal operators, the ILWU, truckers, and warehouse operators say they are complying with state and local health restrictions liked to COVID-19 while still handling cargo volumes.

Former vice president Joe Biden’s support for unions and long-time ties with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have prompted the union to endorse Biden for president of the United States.

The Georgia Ports Authority anticipates a nearly 20 percent decline in March volumes due to the coronavirus, but weekday hours will remain unchanged and empty containers will be accepted.