Author: GPSM

Document Assessment Outside Hours

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) , will now offer document assessment outside standard operating hours.
The department’s business hours are 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
Documents may be assessed outside business hours subject to officer availability and acceptance of the cost.
Please note where officer availability is limited, perishable and some emergency services goods will be prioritised first.

Document processing is taking up to 5 days or more, there are extensive delays which is leading to goods potentially going on storage and causing delay in delivery.

DAFF will be charging additional fees for this service which can be found in the attached copy of charging guidelines. Could you please notify our office if you wish to use this service.

Attachment:DEPARTMENTAL CHARGING GUIDELINES – Biosecurity and Export Regulatory Functions

Hutchinson Port Botany Terminal Stop Work Meeting

We have received advice that a Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) stop work meeting will be held at the terminal on Monday 13th March, 2023 from 10am until 2pm, excerpts of the statement by MUA as follows:

Quote:

“International shipping companies’ recent decision to schedule a massive volume of blank sailings to Australia will have a particular impact on Australia’s third largest shipping terminal operator.

This will throw the waterfront industry into disarray and cause significant economic hardship for hundreds of Australian workers, the Maritime Union of Australia has warned, with the latest example of shipping company cartel behaviour bolstering the case for government intervention into Australian supply chain security.

One of Australia’s three terminal operators, Hutchison Ports, has advised the Union it expects the impact of the shipping companies’ massive withdrawal of sailings to its two terminals – in Sydney and Brisbane – will last four months. The huge reduction in volumes will drive potential job losses and necessitate significant wage reductions and hardship for entire workforce. Terminals operated by DP World in Fremantle, and Melbourne, and VICT in Melbourne, are also affected.

“This is a prime example of persistent market failure in Australia’s supply chains, with Australian workers once again bearing the brunt of international cartel conduct on our coast and on our waterfront,” said Paddy Crumlin, the MUA’s National Secretary and a member of the Australian Federal Government’s Strategic Fleet Shipping Taskforce.

“During COVID, this cartel behaviour took the form of rampant price gouging and scheduling and vessel allocation manipulations that created a false scarcity amidst the global pandemic. Now, they’re slashing sailings and leaving a massive vacuum behind to exert pressure once again on Australia’s supply chains and working people.” Mr Crumlin added.

The Maritime Union of Australia has repeatedly drawn the attention of government, industry, small business and the community to the economic, social and sovereign risks associated with international shipping companies’ systematic abuse of our position at the far end of global supply chains. Independent economic advisory bodies like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Productivity Commission have repeatedly failed to take seriously these risks or incorporate measures to mitigate them in their advisories to government.”

Unquote.

The GPSM Transport Team will liaise directly with those clients affected by the stoppage for rescheduling of the delivery import/export of containers.

Increased Port/Trucking Costs

Terminal Charges:

Terminal Operators, DP World, Patricks, VICT and Hutchinson’s have announced a further increase to their landside charges, including Port Infrastructure Levy, Port Booking Fees and associated charges from 6th March.2023.

The Terminals are pushing ahead with cost increases as part of their “Infrastructure Investment strategies” regardless of the enquiry into a number of port deficiencies, turn rates for loading/discharging and truck turnaround times and all associated costs.

The increases vary from port to port, on average we note that extra costs will be $ 50.00 to $ 80.00 per container across Australia. The new rates will be added to GPSM rates modules and will apply from above listed date. The costs will flow through to LCL port charges as well, some consolidators are now adding “CFS Infrastructure Levies, Energy Levies as well as an Indexation Fee to cover their increased costs. We expect those addition costs to range between be $ 10.00-$20.00 per cubic metre.

 

Port Charges:

Shipping Lines have been increasing their port charges and Documentation Fees over the past few weeks, with more lines due to increase costs from 1st March, 2023. Generally the cost increases amount to $ 30.00/20ft and $ 50.00/40ft container, GPSM will be adjusting our billings to account for the added costs from 1st March, 2023.

 

Trucking Rates:

Trucking companies across the country are facing driver shortages, higher wages costs to retain existing staff, increased costs for new equipment, spare parts and vehicle servicing as well as longer than normal delays at ports and empty container parks. Inflation is a big driver in the cost increases and GPSM have tried to keep prices at previous levels for as long as possible.

We have invested, and are continuing to invest, in a wide range of new equipment with prime movers, trailers and Taut-Liners to allow us to continue to service all client needs with a high level of service.

From 15th March, 2023, we regret we will need to adjust pricing by an average of $ 25.00/20ft and $ 50.00/40ft container to be able to maintain our service levels, there will also be minor adjustments to LCL trucking rates where required.

 

Overweight Containers:

We have seen a lot of overweight containers arriving in Australia in recent months. Please be aware as we have mentioned previously that the port terminals are now weighing every container imported or exported, any container found with a weight exceeding the declared manifested weight by 1,000kgs or more will incur a fine.

Please note we also have issues with overweight containers on our roads, Roads and Maritime NSW and other authorities in other states are checking truck weights regularly and if containers are over-loaded on the axles, we face a large fine for every time an overweight container is detected. GPSM and our sub-contractors have no way of determining how a container is packed when we collect it from the port, so we ask all clients to ensure their suppliers are loading all containers correctly with even weight distribution throughout the container.

Turkish-Syrian Earthquake

Our agent in Turkey has sent the below information on the situation there following the large earthquake that hit the area last week:

We would like to give you brief information in terms of terrible earthquake affection to 10 cities in South Eastern and Eastern regions in Turkey.

  1. 10 cities- mostly iskenderun,Antakya, Gaziantep, Kahraman Maras, Adiyaman,Sanliurfa,Malatya, Osmaniye- have been impacted, with 35,418 people having lost their lives and 90,278 people reported injured as of today.
  2. Factories are providing accommodation services to earthquake victims.
  3. The state dormitories will accept only earthquake victims, and in order to accommodate this all universities are with remote study model.
  4. Ports: Mersin port is working, and carriers are accepting booking requests. Carriers have informed that there will be delays, postponements and roll over issues, we will check on a case-by-case basis when there is a new booking request . The fire has been extinguished in Ä°skenderun Port but not capable to make operation now.
  5. Difficult to find out available trucks to carry cargo except donation goods. Most trucks are working to Earthquake affection areas.
  6. Roads: The roads have been seriously damaged especially. Truck delivery is not possible from/to earthquake zones until further notice.
  7. Factories: All of factories are still closed in Gaziantep, KahramanmaraÅŸ, Antakya, Iskenderun and other nearby cities.
  8. Export of container houses and prefabricated buildings is banned for 3 months.

Current Shipping Situation in USA

Below synopsis of the current import/export market situation in USA has been provided to us today from one of our service providers:

PORT UPDATE:

Los Angeles: Congestion at mid-level with dwell times averaging 0-2 days.

New York: Vessel waiting time is 0-1 days at PNCT and APM Terminal due to berth congestion.

Charleston: Vessel waiting time is 0-12 hours due to berth congestion.

 

RAIL UPDATE:

Los Angeles: Due to railcar shortages, limited rail allocations, and lack of rail crew, dwell times on the west coast have soared to an estimated 10-30days.

Chicago Chassis Shortage: Chassis deficits continue to be observed on a weekly basis in Chicago.

Chicago Rail Ramp Congestion – Due to congestion at destination ramps and accumulating backlog of cargo at origin ports, delays are to be expected in origin departure from long beach and Oakland for rail deliveries to Chicago.

East Coast: Chassis Shortages: Due to persistent congestion nationwide, chassis shortages continue to be observed resulting in potential delays for pick-up and delivery

 

Branch Truck power & Lead-time Equipment availability & waiting time Congestion
Los Angeles / Long Beach 2-3 days turnaround at the terminals once container is made available. Chassis shortages are still contributing to the existing issues with equipment. Dwell times significantly decreased. Trucker appointments available in limited number of slots for entry per day Congestion has eased below pandemic levels. Vessel queue to enter terminals has dropped by 88%.
New York (Import) pre-booking is preferred, but carriers have more capacity and can accommodate a week/few days out. (Export). Equipment and chassis availability has not been an issue for exports, congestion fees are still being applied. (1 week needed for pre-booking no longer applicable) Equipment availability & waiting time looking stable. Dwells are around 0-2 days. Empty returns readily available.
Chicago EXPORTS: Required lead-time is 1 week out. Chassis availability is improving.
IMPORTS: Truckers are advising an improvement 1 week lead time.		 Chassis Shortage in Chicago. EXPORTS: Clear
IMPORTS: Delays in Chicago are due to equipment still. Also heavily dependent on the rail and POD the containers are coming in from.
Charleston Good availability. Booking 2-3 weeks in advance of ETA Chassis availability: Normal Operating normally Dwell time: 0-2 days

 

We hope our Kiwi friends are not seriously affected by the arrival of this cyclone, they have already seen a lot of flooding and damage from recent exceptional rainfall in Auckland.

Cyclone “Gabrielle” due to hit NZ

Ports in NZ are suspending all operations today with the expected arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle. All or most vessels have been sent to Anchor in the harbour for safety with the port only expecting operations to start again on Wednesday morning at the earliest, any vessel enroute to and from Auckland will be delayed by 3/5 days. This will cause delays on dedicated Trans-Tasman route vessels like the Focus Container Line vessel the “BBC Denmark” which was about to start loading export containers in Auckland before being sent to anchor, it will therefore be delayed by about a week on its arrival/departure from Brisbane.

NZ Port Operations over coming days:

  • Port of Auckland Officially Closed from Sunday 12/02 until at least Wednesday 15/02 0700hrs.
  • No vessel / cargo operations at Port until Wednesday at this stage.
  • No ability to collect Import containers until Wednesday at this stage – there will be delays in collection due to congestion later this week.
  • No vessels allowed to call Port Auckland – all vessels due are currently @ anchor away from Port Area.

LCL Depot Operations:

  • No devanning/loading of containers from today 13/02/23. Expected to re-commence AM 15/02/23.
  • No COASTAL Services – no cargo will move this week to Christchurch (Vessels normally leave Monday – Tuesday) All Coastal bookings to CHC will be moved next week.
  • No collection/delivery of LCL Freight until at least Wednesday AM 15/02/23 – storage extended for all import/export cargo due to weather.

We hope our Kiwi friends are not seriously affected by the arrival of this cyclone, they have already seen a lot of flooding and damage from recent exceptional rainfall in Auckland.

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Our agent in Turkey has advised overnight of mass destruction in the most devastating earthquake to hit Turkey and Syria in a century.

To date, some 1500+ lives have been lost in Turkey and some 1200+ lives lost in Syria.

Many hundreds of buildings have been destroyed in several cities and port operations have also been affected.

Most businesses in the affected cities are not open as the search and rescue efforts continue.

Further updated information will follow as soon as possible.

Updated Charges

Airline Handling Fees:

Cargo Terminal Operators (CTO’s) have announced they have reviewed their Airline Handling and Documentation charges effective immediately.

Our apologies for late notification but we were only advised ourselves today.

The Airline Transfer Fee will increase by $ 0.04 per kg to $ 0.67/kilogram with a minimum of $ 67.00/shipment.

The Airline Documentation Fee has been increased to $ 67.00/consignment, with a new Administration Fee being added @ $ 5.50 per consignment.

The International Terminal Fee remains unchanged.

 

Port Service Charges:

Several Shipping Lines have advised that they are increasing their port service charges in Australian ports from 1st March, 2023, from the information we have received to date, appears that costs will increase by approximately $ 20.00/20ft and $ 40.00/40ft in all ports and will apply to imports and exports.

We shall keep clients advised if there any changes closer to implementation date.

 

Port Infrastructure Charges:

The Sea Port Terminal Operators are also increasing their costs from 6th March, 2023, despite the industry being under a Federal Government investigation into Landside Charges and port efficiencies.

We are still working through the proposed changes and will advise more information once our cost comparisons are completed.

The Landside Charges increases are being touted by the Terminals as an embarkation on significant infrastructure investment program of $ 80 million committed for 2023 and a total investment of $ 300 million over the next 3 years.

Port Botany Rail Closure

Rail operations will be suspended into each of the Port Botany container terminals as per below notice received this morning, this will add substantial pressure to VBS slot availability for road operations over this weekend and well into next week.

“ARTC will be carrying out essential track maintenance and improvement works this February at various locations between Port Botany to Flemington NSW. Works will commence from 2:00pm Friday 3 February 2023 and continue through until 2:00pm Wednesday 8 February 2023 with nightworks in some locations.

We will begin mobilizing to site and carrying out minor preparation work in the days and weeks prior to the shutdown work commencing and there will be post work site clean-up. All preparation and clean-up work will be completed during standard working hours”.

DP World Sydney has advised that “there will be heavy demand for Import & Export slots this week and the start of next week” with large import discharges from vessels such as CMA CGM Semarang, ANL Gippsland and Moana, all with import availabilities over the period of the rail closure. Patricks and Hutchinson Terminals are also expected to be heavily impacted with time slots at a premium.

GPSM Transport Team will liaise directly with all customers affected by the rail closure and time-slot availability.

Interstate Trucking Empty De-Hire arrangements

As we start into a New Year, and an expected surge of containers expected through February/March following Chinese New Year holiday period, we remind all clients of advising earliest empty container pick-ups when containers are dropped on site.

The trucking industry throughout Australia has been under immense pressure since Covid commenced with longer than normal delays at container terminals and empty container parks all of whom have struggled to deliver or receive on time, particularly empty container parks as per below:

  • Limited operating hours of container parks.
  • Empty container park capacity issues.
  • Lack of slots to collect or de-hire.
  • Constant and last-minute redirections to alternative container parks.
  • Lengthy delays.

During this period, our interstate partners have insisted on a minimum of 3 days’ notice for empty collection, below is an example of their requirements:

  • At a minimum, we requires three (3) full working days to collect and de-hire empty containers.
  • Where a single public holiday falls in any month, we requires a minimum of four (4) full working days to collect and de-hire empty containers.
  • Where more than one public holiday falls in any month, we requires a minimum of five (5) full working days to collect and de-hire empty containers.

This situation is now the normal minimal industry requirement, in fact we see some interstate truckers are asking for up to 5 days’ notice to collect empty containers.

This has led to additional charges being incurred on many shipments which GPSM have until now absorbed, however we regret we are unable to continue to absorb these costs.

Moving forward, would all clients please ensure the above requirements are met to assist us in a smooth operation and avoiding additional costs.

Please note the above only applies to deliveries in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, GPSM in Sydney are managing the delivery and retrieval of empties under our original 2 days’ notice requirement.