Earthquake in Japan Update
All major Japanese ports, including Tokyo and Yokohama are fully operational. To ensure that radiation levels are not higher than government recommended levels all containers received at the Minami Honmoku terminal in Yokohama, including those connected by domestic feeders, are checked for radiation.Â
Following Hachinohe and Sendai, now the port of Onahama resumes operation at limited scale. With continuous operational constraints, the feeder operation to serve these three ports remains restrictive. For export - the acceptance of cargo at these ports is still limited to dry containers only on very selective basis. There is still no acceptance of reefers for export. For import - there is still no acceptance of any containersÂ
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Freight Infrastructure Charge (FIC) – Scrapped by the Victorian Government
The Victorian Minister for Ports, Hon. Dr. Denis Napthine, has announced that the Victorian Coalition Government has scrapped the Freight Infrastructure Charge (FIC) proposed originally by the Brumby Labor Government. The VTA (Victorian Transport Association) The impact on regional exporters and transport operators in the bush would have been particularly harsh, eroding international export competitiveness.
The additional severe administrative burden on transport operators was recognized, as was the fact that the tax would have done little to make road transport operations through the international container stevedores in the Port of Melbourne any more efficient.
It is clear from the Minister’s statement that the Coalition Government still intends to collect additional revenue to contribute to much needed port infrastructure investment in the Port of Melbourne.
However, it is proposed that the Port of Melbourne Corporation will be tasked with collecting the revenue through increases in its “normal system of fees and chargesâ€.
On face value, we take this statement to mean that additional port revenue will be collected through increased wharfage or other pricing mechanisms levied on containers / cargo interests.
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USA backlog of Cargo
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Airline carriers and whole cargo integrators in the USA are struggling to move an ever increasing backlog and demand for cargo space to Australia and NZ. Many bookings are accepted but freight left standing on the day of departure due to over commitment. As we move into the busy season needing extra capacity there seems no reliable service provider willing to guarantee space or assure uplift. ITM is monitoring this difficult situation and will advise any changes as they come to hand but clients should factor in lengthy delays for import airfreight and not provide firm arrival and availability times to their production teams or clients as these cannot be assured at this time.
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Port of Melbourne Dangerous Goods (DG) Hub
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The Port of Melbourne Corporation, in consultation with the shipping and export industry, has developed a DG Hub to assist in reporting DG information throughout the supply chain. In the near future MO41’s will be lodged on line via a web portal. ITM is listing a free “how to†course 11/8/11 at 10.30am run by the Melbourne ports Authority call the office to book your spot.
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Further details are available from www.dghub.com.au
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Italian summer holidays 2011
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This is a reminder that most Italian manufacturers/suppliers will be closing down for the traditional Italian Summer vacations.
These closures will, as a general rule, start on a rolling basis from Friday the 29th of July through to Friday the 29th of August.
The shutdown will be between two and four weeks.
The usual backlog of orders are therefore expected to occur and many manufacturers/suppliers will have problems fulfilling their commitments unless pressured to do so.
The very large influx of tourist traffic that will hit the Italian road system in this period will also affect export of goods, slowing down pick-up and delivery times for commercial vehicles.