Fresh Reports Highlights Need For Immediate Improvements to Australia’s Shipping Industry

The recent release of the Productivity Commission’s final report into the Maritime Logistics System has once again highlighted the need for the industry to implement changes to improve efficiency and productivity, and both business and consumers stand to benefit. I, among others within the industry, have been calling for meaningful change to occur for some […]
Trade Deals with India and the United Kingdom

We have been notified by the Minister for Trade and Tourism Senator, the Hon Don Farrell, that the passage of legislation through the Parliament enabling free trade agreements with India and the United Kingdom, has been completed. Two of the proposed free trade agreements (FTAs) have been ratified by the Australian Government and will come […]
Flooding and Derailment Causing Headaches for Rail-Freight Network

EES Shipping is committed to keeping clients up to date with the latest events across the supply chain – and with peak season upon us, it’s important customers are aware of current difficulties facing the rail network. Ongoing flooding across central New South Wales has forced the closure of the network, impacting train services between […]
How Late Night Deliveries and After Hours Phone Calls Could Help Ease Supply-Chain Delays.

Twenty-four hour operations in the shipping industry may be the only solution we have to the big retail issues we are facing due to global shipping congestion. The reality is the massive issues we’ve faced in 2021 look set to continue into 2022 unless we can find meaningful solutions. While I think the time has […]
Why Global Shipping Delays Aren’t All Bad News.

There’s been much discussion about global shipping delays since the coronavirus pandemic began, but despite the ongoing congestion and backlog, cautious optimism is emerging among some businesses. We’ve been warning clients for months about the need to order products well in advance, to ensure their arrival before the busy Christmas period. However, in order to […]
China’s Golden Week Holiday

The China Golden Week holidays are coming up fast. We are currently experiencing the usual space problems from China as we move closer to peak season.  With the upcoming week long holiday, suppliers in China will also be working hard to clear the stock from their warehouses – this will cause even more space issues […]
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (BMSB) 2021-2022 season

The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources have released the latest requirements regarding mandatory pre-shipment fumigation for imports into Australia, to protect against Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (BMSB) over the 2021-22 high risk season. The measures apply to goods shipped from high risk countries from 1 September 2021 that arrive in Australian territory by […]
Key WA Industries the Latest to be Affected by Worsening Shipping Delays

WA’s mining and agriculture sectors are starting to feel the squeeze from continued global shipping delays, with concerns vital maintenance supplies are becoming caught up in the backlog. As we predicted months ago, the pandemic-related delays of 2020 have continued to snowball this year, made worse by the Suez canal blockage and the more recent […]
As The Freight Industry Gets Ever Busier, BioSecurity Has To Be At The Front of the Queue

While Australians continue to enjoy getting deliveries from overseas, they may not be aware that getting those products delivered carries with it a number of biosecurity risks to our way of life. One of the primary responsibilities any freight forwarder needs to take on is a dedication to maintaining Australia’s biosecurity. Though this is a […]
Australia lifts ban on cargo flights from Bangladesh after security revamp

Satisfied with the improvement of security standards, Australia has lifted its five-year ban on direct cargo flights from Bangladesh. It’s a long-awaited measure applauded by top exporters, after the country, with several others including the UK and EU, imposed the ban in December 2015, citing inadequate security at Bangladeshi airports. The Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Jeremy Bruer, […]
Shanghai’s box volume hits 40 million TEU for 4 year running

Container volume for Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) has already surpassed 40 million TEU in 2020 for the fourth consecutive year, say port authorities. Despite the outbreak of the Covid crisis, Shanghai port maintained fast growth in container throughput and accelerated its development of intelligent port systems. On July 29, the port handled a container […]
Covid scare delays cargo at Shanghai and sparks checks at China ports

Chinese forwarders are reporting delays of up to three days for cargo moving through Shanghai Pudong Airport, following the discovery of a cluster of Covid-19 cases, reports London’s Loadstar. “Import and export customs inspections are suspended until further notice from the government,” said one forwarder. He added that while flights continued to operate, along with […]
Patrick & DP World Terminals MUA AGM – Tuesday 24/11/2020

The purpose of this notice is to inform you that Patrick and DP World Terminals Australia Wide will cease ship and yard operations for the Annual General Meeting of the Maritime Union of Australia. PATRICK TERMINALS: MUA Annual General Meeting (AGM) stop work meetings 　 On Tuesday, 24 November all Patrick terminals will have a […]
Stepped-up prevention helps reduce loss of containers at sea

The World Shipping Council (WSC) in its 2020 report shows that an average of 779 containers were lost at sea in the three-year period between 2017 and 2019, down from the yearly average loss of 1,382 containers in the twelve-year period (2008-2019). With more than 5,000 container vessels in operation and about 789 million TEU […]
Intra-Asia interest sparked by empty container shortage

Rising rates on intra-Asia routes to five-year highs amid a capacity crunch born of an acute shortage of empty containers, has commanded fresh attention in the market, say carriers and shippers alike. The tightness in supply has mainly been caused by the global container shortage, carriers redeploying boxes and ships to main line services, and […]
Sweeper ships await Sydney congestion to ease to retrieve empties

Congestion in Sydney has stranded about 50,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units) of empties, according to liner lobby Shipping Australia, reports IHS Media. “Congestion will have to be worked through before sweepers can call,” the group said in a statement. “On a positive note, there are some signs that this may change at one terminal […]
2020-21 BMSB season – two months in!

We are now two months into this BMSB season. The number of detections of BMSB are increasing as we head into some of the busiest months for imports and riskiest months for BMSB establishment. The department has 20 detections of BMSB so far this season. There have been 17 detections of dead BMSB across the […]
Shanghai world’s first port to handle 4 million TEU in one month

The Port of Shanghai has broken its own monthly container handling record, becoming the first port in the world to handle more than four million TEU (twenty foot equivalent units) in a calendar month. Shanghai, the world’s biggest boxport, handled 4.2 million TEU in October, up 15.7 per cent year on year, surpassing the record […]
Update from Svitzer Australia: Notification of Protected Industrial Action by CFMMEU

Please find below an announcement from Svitzer Australia (tug boat operators) of the intended Protected Industrial Action by members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). The protected industrial action is planned to take place from 12:01 am Thursday 29 October 2020 through to 11:59 pm Sunday 29 November 2020. The impact to operations and […]
China Empty Container Shortage – 40’GP/40’HC — CRITICAL

The situation in China regarding empty containers has become critical.  The majority of shipping lines in main port China (Shanghai/Ningbo/Qingdao/Yantian/Shekou), along with some of the smaller ports, are now unable to offer 40’GP or 40’HC containers. The shipping lines that are in possession of empty equipment are charging double the freight rate to move containers […]
Singapore welcomes world’s largest LNG powered containership

The world’s largest LNG-powered containership – the 23,000 TEU CMA CGM Jacques Saade – made its maiden call in Singapore early this month. The first of nine 23,000 TEU LNG-powered newbuildings and named after the late Jacques Saade, founder of the CMA CGM Group, the vessel called at the CMA CGM-PSA Lion Terminal after sailing […]
Ocean rates still rising alongside ‘major problems’ for those on the front line

On the 16th October the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) showed a further 10.65-point gain in its comprehensive index to 1,448.87 – 71% higher than at the end of May. The huge increase over the past five months, in the midst of the pandemic, has been driven by substantial gains in container spot rates across […]
Supply of Three Phase Cage Induction Motors

Are you an importer of three phase cage induction motors, or do you import equipment that is fitted with three phase cage induction motors? It is imperative that you read this document received from the GEMS Regulator. As an importer you may have obligations under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012 (GEMS Act) […]
World Maritime Day 2020

“Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet” is the World Maritime theme for 2020. This will provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and showcase the work that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and its Member States are undertaking to achieve the targets. World Maritime Day 2020 – IMO […]
Industrial Action at Container Terminals

Please read the following as this is affecting all current deliveries, vessel schedules and upcoming containers for the foreseeable future until the current industrial action has been resolved. We are doing our best to communicate with our clients and transport providers, but the information and action taken by the wharves is changing every hour. EES […]
eCert exchange for New Zealand

Effective 31 August 2020, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has transitioned the current eCert exchange with New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (NZ MPI) to a paperless eCert exchange. This means NZ MPI will no longer issue original paper phytosanitary or sanitary certificates. The NZ exporter will provide importers and brokers with […]
Immediate withdrawal of industrial action at DP World Sydney

We have received advice from DP World Australia that the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) will not be taking industrial action of any kind at their Port Botany terminal before 1 November 2020. We now watch with interest to see what action Patrick and Hutchison take to gain a similar period of business continuity that […]
Sydney’s container congestion sparks anger

Sydney’s pile up of empties, sorely needed in China ports if liners would only take them there, are causing massive congestion in Botany Bay, reports Brisbane’s Australasian Transport News. Most container parks are at full capacity, while several closed to import de-hires. Thus container management has reached a crisis point, says Container Transport Alliance Australia […]
Asia Shipping Issues

Back-to-back typhoons and surging shipping demand have meant lengthy vessel delays for ocean freight out of Asia. Typhoon Haishen made landfall south-east of Gangneung in South Korea on 7 September, following Typhoon Maysak, which struck near the port of Busan on 3 September with winds of 100 mph. “Due to the short interval between the […]
Australia’s Crisis-hit Shipping Industry

Australia’s crisis-hit shipping industry is now providing a ‘third-world’ service. Australia’s shipping industry is in “disarray”,  according to angry forwarders and transport operators. They claim Sydney’s Port Botany is providing a “third-world” service, while importers are being “held to ransom” by shipping line surcharges. The crisis in Australian docks escalated this week with more industrial […]
China renews blue alert for Typhoon Haishen

China’s national observatory Saturday renewed a blue alert for Typhoon Haishen, which is expected to bring strong winds to parts of eastern China’s sea areas. The super typhoon, the tenth this year, was observed on the northwestern Pacific Ocean, about 890 km south of Japan’s Kyushu island at 5 p.m. Saturday, with a maximum wind […]
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (BMSB) 2020-2021 season

The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources have released the latest requirements regarding mandatory pre-shipment fumigation for imports into Australia, to protect against Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (BMSB) over the 2020-21 high risk season. The measures apply to goods shipped from high risk countries from 1 September 2020 that arrive in Australian territory by […]
China’s Golden Week Holiday

The China Golden Week holidays are coming up fast. We are currently experiencing the usual space problems from China as we move closer to peak season.  With the upcoming week long holiday, suppliers in China will also be working hard to clear the stock from their warehouses – this will cause even more space issues […]
Current Conditions

Analysts are announcing that container shipping costs and service levels are at risk of spiraling out of control. As well as a massive withdrawal of capacity since the start of the Covid-19 crisis – 468 blanked departures on east-west (US to China) trades – the analyst said schedule reliability had been “extremely low”. The blanked […]
Sydney Airport plagued with cargo congestion

The same cargo congestion issues that have paralysed big airports in the US, China and Europe during the pandemic have materialised in Australia. Dnata, which stands for Dubai National Air Transport Association, the airport operations division of the Emirates Group, warned it is experiencing delays processing import cargo at Sydney Airport because of an unplanned […]
Increasing congestion at ports due to cancelled sailings out of India

Container trades out of India are faced with increasing congestion, due to a combination of blanked sailings, equipment shortages and carriers unable to clear a backlog of bookings. According to forwarding sources in the country, every carrier is facing a “space crunch across India on all trade lanes and services”. Sources added that this was […]
Containership scrapping increases as July hits three-year high

Containership scrapping reached a three-year high in July according to Hellenic Shipping News. Sixteen ships were demolished in July, including the 1998 built 9,578-TEU Sine Maersk, the largest containership to ever be demolished. Sine Maersk -image credit marinetraffic.com The numbers reached 52,800 TEU, which surpassed the 50,600 TEU demolished in June. In the first seven […]
China’s factories recover in July

China’s factory activity expanded in July for the fifth month in a row and at a faster pace, beating analyst expectations despite disruptions from floods and a resurgence in coronavirus cases around the world, reported Reuters. The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) rose to 51.1 in July from June’s 50.9, official data showed, marking […]
Floods in China disrupt Yangtze River cargo flow

Port operations at Shanghai and Ningbo have been severely disrupted by the nation’s worst floods in decades which have led to port closures on the Yangtze River. The floods, caused by heavy rains over the last six weeks, have also impacted container operations in southern China where reefer imports have already been disrupted by stringent […]
Australia Terminal Update

Recently the Container Logistics Industry have faced challenges by various factors. These include extreme weather events, port and landside congestion and vessel schedule alterations. In addition to the above, this challenge will be further exacerbated due to the planned protected industrial action announced at DP World’s terminals across Australia from next week. Please find below […]
Actual Number of Containers Lost at Sea Falling

The global container shipping industry continues to see a declining trend in the number of containers lost at sea each year. The World Shipping Council (WSC) on Wednesday released an update to its survey that provides the industry with its best estimate on the number of actual containers lost at sea. WSC undertook the first […]
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) seasonal measures 2020-21

In response to the rapid expansion of BMSB throughout Europe and North America, the department has retained the seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB from arriving in Australia for the 2020–21 BMSB risk season. The department has used a range of scientific, intelligence and evidence-based information when setting the measures, including data collected […]
Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement negotiations kick-off

Australia and the United Kingdom have today announced the commencement of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which will start a new chapter in the economic relationship and help to boost export flows between our two nations. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Australia was ready to help the UK find new beginnings post […]
Coronavirus Trade Update

Here comes another fantastic wrap-up (from Freight and Trade Alliance) on how the coronavirus is affecting the shipping industry: China – Update Our sources from China have provided us with the following updates  As of June 16 China is suffering the beginning of a second COVID-19 wave. Total case numbers have risen to 256 national wide. […]
2020-2021 Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) seasonal measures

The 2020-21 BMSB season will be in effect for goods shipped from September 1, 2020 that arrive in Australian territory prior 31 May 2021(inclusive). In order to provide clarity at season’s end, it is important to note that Goods must be treated if exported between 1 September 2020 and 30 April 2021 inclusive.   Whilst the […]
Cargo ship captain allowed to leave Australia

The APL England container ship lost more than 50 containers in rough seas last month.(Supplied: Blueys Photography) A Brisbane judge has ruled the captain of a Singaporean container ship involved in a major cargo spill in New South Wales will be allowed to leave the country under new bail conditions. Mohd Zulkaili Bin Alias, 43, […]
World’s Largest Megaship Arrives in Europe

It was back in March this year when we first introduced you to the HMM Algeciras. HMM Algeciras in Rotterdam. Photo: Port of Rotterdam Authority This week she set a new record as the largest ship to enter a European port! The ship arrived at Rotterdam’s Amaliahaven to transfer containers at the Rotterdam World Gateway […]
NICNAS out AICIS in

The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) will replace NICNAS on 1 July 2020 as the new national regulator of the importation and manufacture of industrial chemicals in Australia. Anyone who imports or manufactures industrial chemicals into Australia for commercial purposes must register their business with AICIS and pay a fee as well as categorise […]