CSMS# 55505234 – Deploying on March 18, 2023, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Alert Enhancements will require three new validations to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) for goods that may be coming into the United States from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. The validations are as follows: Postal code
The buzz out of the Trans-Pacific Maritime (TPM) conference focused on the future of ocean freight logistics under the theme of “picking up the pieces” – a bit of whimsical wordplay about the disruption, inflation, and collapse of ocean freight rates, services, and the uncertain future. Unprecedented volatility was the standard description for the way
It’s a welcome relief to shippers hearing that the US West Coast port negotiations are finally showing signs of a solution as the contract talks have stretched out month after month. While a final agreement isn’t coming up this week, reports that parties have settled on health benefits have been reached show a massive hurdle
A devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing over five thousand people and damaging property and infrastructure. The initial 7.8 magnitude natural disaster was followed by aftershocks that also reached 7.7 on the Richter Scale in a one-two punch, the extent of which we have yet to learn. “It was determined that
Initially, analysts predicted that blanked sailings would subside after Lunar New Year, but new predictions push the slump past the Spring Festival and well into the end of the first quarter before improving. Vessel sharing alliances have blanked more than 27% of their sailings connected to Asia, prompting shippers who are concerned about inventory to
As Lunar New Year approaches, the logistics industry is feeling the crunch! The demand for transportation services spikes as businesses rush to ensure that their products are ready for the two-week shutdown in observance of the Spring Festival. Companies must act fast and confirm they have the resources necessary to meet this sudden surge in
The FMC is working hard to keep carriers accountable as investigations into retaliation and discrimination against shippers who reported fee and demurrage charges that were erroneously applied. Hot on the heels of the news that ocean market rates are dropping, causing contract rates to become much higher than the spot market, the FMC’s look into
West coast ports have lost market share to east coast ports as many took the congestion earlier this year at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a sign to move their voyages to arrive on the opposite side of the country. Concerns are now being raised, as the west coast sees a
After a tragic fire killed ten people in Urumqi, China when lockdown protocols trapped residents in the blaze, protestors are gathering in acts of civil disobedience against the government and their strict lockdown measures. Outbreaks in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan and Chengdu have resulted in renewed efforts to restrict movement in the country both to curb
The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen’s union has voted against the National Tentative Agreement, becoming the second union to say no to the contract proposed in September after a lengthy negotiation that required the Presidential Advisory Board to step in and urge both sides to come together. Unfortunately, despite that intervention, the issues regarding sick time,
