News

Transporters hauling containers to and from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) have called off their strike after local politicians wrested an assurance from the four new transporters selected by the port authority not to proceed with their work until the Supreme Court decides on a petition brought by the striking...

Workers unions plan to go on an indefinite strike at all of the 12 major ports in India on or after May 30 to press their demands. The national co-ordination committee of six federations of major port workers also decided to call for a nation-wide one-day protest strike on May...

A customer advisory has been issued stating that terminals in Shanghai, Ningbo and Qingdao have been affected for some weeks by heavy winds and intense fog, causing disruptions to port operations and vessel services. The advisory notes the following conditions and delays: Shanghai: Port operations at Wai Gao Qiao and...

  The strike is increasing shipper costs, especially importer costs and those who use the Port of Santos, Brazil’s largest container port. (Above: The Port of Santos.) Photo credit: Tecon Santos. The strike by auditors with Brazil’s Receita Federal (customs office) has intensified in the past two weeks, as Sindifisco,...

Strikes by unions in France and Germany were set to disrupt air cargo operations yesterday, with Air France and Lufthansa cancelling hundreds of flights.  In Germany, the Verdi trade union called for a strike over pay at Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne and Bremen airports.  In France, pilot, cabin and ground crew...

Intermittent strikes at French state railway SNCF over the next few months are expected to hit France’s domestic and international rail freight sector hard and significantly impact the logistics operations of key customers, industry sources warn. Unions are planning 36 days of industrial action between now and mid-June in protest...

Heavy fog in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta area between March 27 and April 2 has “severely affected ocean freight carrier services and operations at both WaiGao Qiao & Yangshan terminals in Shanghai.” According to the member, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration has advised that more than 1,550 barges...

The ocean freight industry has seen several major incidents over the past few weeks, including two fires on board two separate Maersk vessels, and a containership collision in Karachi Port that forced the temporary closure of the port. These incidents underscore the importance of always buying cargo insurance to protect...

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) has warned that while the USA’s metals tariff will have a limited impact on most international bulk trades, it could have a negative impact on global shipping. The USA will add a 25 percent tariff on imports of steel and a 10 percent...

While shippers have been warned that low-sulphur regulations to be enforced globally in 2020 will see bunker costs added to their freight bill, they could also face a huge upswing in freight rates if new proposals to cut vessel speeds, due to be discussed at the International Maritime Organization (IMO),...