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  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),...

US port officials say President Donald Trump’s planned steel and aluminum tariffs threaten two of their top breakbulk commodities and could hurt exports by inviting other countries to retaliate against US products. “My greatest fear all along has been that an action like this could lead to retaliation that could...

Severe weather hit UK supply chains last week, with several ports closing or suspending services because of snow and high winds. On March 1, Maersk announced that Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Felixstowe, Grangemouth and Tilbury ports were closed, and services into London Gateway suspended. A spokesperson for Felixstowe said both its...

President plans to impose 25% duties on steel imports and 10% on aluminum, for a period not yet determined WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said he would impose steep global tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, intensifying his campaign to pursue a newly aggressive “America First” trade policy. Mr. Trump announced the...