Space Availability Becoming an Issue For Early Peak Season
There are extensive space issues out of Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand for traffic to Australian ports. All carriers are fully booked and space is becoming extremely hard to obtain at present with first available vessels now being quoted as October. This situation is normal in Peak Season but the very high volume of traffic from Malaysia and Thailand is abnormal compared to previous years.
It is imperative that any orders be advised as soon as possible so that we can book early to secure space, GPSM has found that some space is still available but with delays to all bookings.
LCL Depot Implement Int’l Terminal Fees
QUBE Logistics, operators of LCL unpack depots in all major Australian ports are to introduce a “terminal handling fee” of AUD 30.00/shipment from mid-October, 2017.</p.
QUBE is blaming increased costs for the introduction of this fee and so far, are the only depot to implement such a charge, however like the new charges introduced at the FCL terminals recently it is expected that other depot operators may also introduce a similar charge in the future.
The new fee has been announced without any industry consultation, and several industry bodies have already met for discussions with the operator but they have shown little compassion and are continuing with their implementation plan.
Hurricane Irma hits Florida.
Hurricane Irma has caused severe damage to infrastructure throughout Florida and is having an adverse effect on container/cargo movements. Several services have been disrupted so shippers/consignees can expect delays to cargo movements in and out of Florida until the situation is cleaned up and business operations are back to as normal as possible.
China Golden Week.
China will close for National holidays from 1st October until 8th October 2017, however many factories and businesses traditionally extend the holiday longer. Trucking operations are also traditionally heavily affected as many of the drivers are from inland areas and return to their home cities and towns during this period.
Shipping lines have announced that sailings will be reduced during this period, some lines will substitute smaller vessels than normal on the Australian trade during and after the holiday period. This will result in space shortages so it is imperative that bookings for the 2nd half of September-early October shipments be received as early as possible to avoid delays.