Update - European Customs Advanced Manifest Rule
Effective 1 July 2011, European Customs Advanced Manifest rules will be strictly enforced and failure to comply with the same may lead to penalties and/or fines. As agreed by the European Union Commission and member states, the rule that got implemented from 1 January 2011 is under a mandatory monitoring period until 30 June 2011.
Under this rule, goods entering the customs territory of the European Union must be declared electronically before arrival by the carrier and within the timelines established by the European Customs authorities.
We would like to emphasise the importance of submitting the Transport Document Instructions (TDI) in accordance with the deadlines established as the information is submitted to the EU member states’ customs. Failure to submit the shipping instructions in time will to lead for cargo not being loaded.
Â
Container floor loadings/limitations – Worldwide
Shipping lines are currently seeing an increasing number of damages to wood floors and understructures of ISO Containers. One reason for this is the fact that the quality of the wood for container floors (although still in line with ISO requirements) seems to be deteriorating in new build containers
The main reason for these damages, however, is that very often too heavy concentrated cargoes (not properly distributed over a wider surface area) are being loaded into the container and/or the use of forklift equipment for loading and unloading the cargo in the container that are too heavy. This mishandling could potentially result in both the risk of damage to cargo and handling equipment but first and foremost in the threat of personal injuries on the part of the people involved in the process of (un)loading the containers.
Shippers loading heir own FCLâ€S should note the following
 ·        Limitation for concentrated Loads on regular wood floor container
A maximum floor load is 3 tons per running meter for a 20’ container and 4.5 tons per running meter for a 40’ container.  ·        Limitations for use of forklift trucks on wooden container floors
Item                                        Limit Front axle load (forklift             max 5.460kg Truck plus cargo) Contact area per tyre                min 142 cm2 Width of tyre                            min 180 mm Wheel spacing (on one             min 760 mm  Axle)
Â
Customs, quarantine strikes may hit Australian Airports and Seaports
The nation’s airports and seaports might be shut down in July as customs and quarantine officers ramp up an industrial campaign for better work agreements. Quarantine and Department of Agriculture staff have voted overwhelmingly to reject the Federal Government’s latest offer in enterprise bargaining talks. Â
Container service reliability falls again Container service reliability declined for the second quarter in a row during the first quarter of 2011, according to Drewry Maritime Research. The proportion of the 2,972 vessel calls arriving on time at selected ports around the world during January-March fell back to 51 percent, down from 55 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. The decline in service reliability during the first quarter of 2011 mirrors the sharp fall in freight rates that lines have had to endure. The synchronisation of freight rates with reliability is something that has been evident since the first quarter of last year.  “Compounding the problem, escalating fuel prices mean that carriers are probably less inclined right now to speed up if the ship falls behind schedule.† Not for the first time, the report revealed a sizable gap between the best- and worst-performing lines. Focusing on the Top 20 carriers (as ranked by vessel TEU capacity) that provide the bulk of the vessels tracked, the on-time difference between the leading carriers and the lowest-ranked carriers was in the region of 30 percentage points.  TRADING TERMS Customers dealing in seafreight LCL from the China region particularly should consider their terms of trade. Business on CFR or CIF basis may attract significatly higher port and handling charges on arrival to compensate of zero or negative freight rates. The old adage prevails “there is no such thing as a free lunch†Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â