Patricks terminals

As we outlined last week the dispute between Patricks and the Maritime Unions MUA) has escalated. Whilst all ports around Australia will be effected the greatest effect will be felt in Melbourne.

The MUA has implemented a series of protected action which basically shuts the terminal for 12 hours a day every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October.
This means there will either be late night pick ups or complete mayhem through the Tuesday and Thursdays to get slots and containers.
There has been no word from Patricks on the issue of storage waivers at this stage.

Patricks has tried to sub-contract some of the vessels to the other terminals however due to COVID outbreaks and operational issues the other terminals cannot increase capacity.

We will continue to provide updates and talk to our clients on the issue of deliveries so we can reduce the incidence of additional charges through waiting time and/or storage costs.

Space and Rates

The situation with space and rates from all around the world is still quite challenging.

We have seen transhipment ports now extend out to 2-4 weeks in transhipment and this just increases the stress on the vessels coming to Australia.

Certain shipping lines are also implement cancellation fees for bookings and therefore it is imperative that your suppliers stay in constant contact with our partners to avoid cancellations and avoid missing the sailings.
In relation to rates they continue to increase from all areas and don’t show any signs of levelling out as yet.

Should you need freight prior to the Xmas period it is already quite difficult from the USA and Europe. When talking to our staff please make sure you give as much information as possible in relation to required timeframes so we can work towards what you require.

Vessel port rotation – Port Congestion

The industry is seeing a number of vessels changing port rotations throughout the Asian region and also throughout Australia.

This change usually means that one or more ports are omitted meaning freight booked is pushed to the next available sailing.

In Australia, a number of vessels are omitting Sydney due to the continued action by the MUA pushing delays out towards 9 days in Sydney port. If you have Sydney freight on one of these vessels it is being offloading in Melbourne or Brisbane and it is then your responsibility to get it back to Sydney.

We hope all our clients and partners are safe and well in these trying times and should you need to reach out to us please do not hesitate to call.Take care and stay safe.