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04
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Newsletter – April 4, 2023
OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES
Shippers brace for freight rate and BAF increase onslaught
theloadstar.com
A definite end to rock-bottom freight rates could be in sight, as carriers take advantage of tight capacity management to launch rate restoration programmes across their networks in the next few weeks.
Moreover, shippers can expect an increase in bunker surcharges, as the shipping lines ramp up BAFs to mitigate the impact of higher fuel costs. Read more here (login required).
Appointment of Conciliation Officers
bcmeanegotiations.com
Further to our last update regarding the ILWU’s filing of the Notice of Dispute to the Minister of Labour under the Canada Labour Code, two conciliation officers from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service have been appointed to this matter today. The Conciliation Officers appointed include Ms. Kathy Peters, Regional Director – Pacific Region and Mr. Peter Simpson, Director-General. Read more here.
US terminal operators challenge FMC over demurrage
worldcargonews.com
Ports America and NAWE say it is “quite frankly astonishing” that the FMC would seek to limit a marine terminal operator’s ability to charge demurrage in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Read more here (login required). Ports America and NAWE say it is “quite frankly astonishing” that the FMC would seek to limit a marine terminal operator’s ability to charge demurrage in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Read more here (login required).
Indian imports slowed by tech glitch in new customs clearance platform
theloadstar.com
Indian importers and supply chain players are facing difficulties securing customs clearance, due to major glitches on the national electronic data interchange platform, known as Icegate.
As a result, import containers are piling up at port locations across the country, according to industry sources. Read more here (login required).
Guidelines published for safe transport of lithium-ion batteries in containers
splash247.com
The Lithium-ion Batteries in Containers Guidelines, published yesterday by several industry bodies, seek to prevent the increasing risks that the transport of lithium-ion batteries by sea creates, providing suggestions for identifying such risks. Read more here.
GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES
Trucking demand visibility is far more important than supply
freightwaves.com
The question of how trucking capacity is growing or declining is common in industry, but the reality is that demand fluctuations are far more important to monitor as they swing much more violently.
Since December of 2018, the total tractor count from for-hire fleets (non-private) has grown 18%, according to the FMCSA, but has never shown a monthly change of over 2%. By contrast, the Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI), a measure of total truckload demand, has grown 12% over the same period, but monthly fluctuations topped 20% at times. Read more here.
Detroit-Windsor truck ferry in danger of imminent closure
trucknews.com
The Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, a mainstay since Earth Day 1990, hauling hazmat and oversize loads between Windsor and Detroit, could close in the next few months without government funding.
Ferry operator Gregg Ward, an American, said traffic has taken a plunge since 2019, a factor he’s hard pressed to account for. The ferry closed for just the first two months during Covid-19 lockdowns and the pandemic hasn’t really played a role in reduced traffic. Read more here.
CANADA BUSINESS GOVERNMENT UPDATES
Canadian firms’ inflation expectations, recession concerns ease slightly
reuters.com
OTTAWA, April 3 (Reuters) – About half of Canadian businesses see a mild recession over the next year, the Bank of Canada said on Monday in a first quarter survey, fewer than in the fourth quarter, and most are bracing for inflation to stay above 2% until at least 2025.
In the fourth quarter, some two-thirds of respondents had said they expected a recession was looming. Some 79% of firms see inflation staying above 3% for the next two years, down from 84% in the fourth quarter. Read more here.