Department of Agriculture

Due to a Khapra Beetle emergency within Australian ports, the Department of Agriculture has advised there will be delays in arranging inspections as officers have been diverted to the requirements for Khapra Beetle.

If you have upcoming inspections please liaise with us and we will work with the Department to try and get these completed in a timely manner.
As always early and complete documentation can, at times, avoid the need for inspections and is especially prevalent this time of year.

Stevedores

Whilst the past week has been relatively quiet on the Stevedore front, especially with the unions there is mounting congestion within the Brisbane port.
Patrick’s removed some of the previously used slots throughout the night, and this has caused greater congestion as the port is further constrained.

DP World has notified the industry that they will again raise their rates from Jan 01^st which puts further pressure on costs and outlays, not only for the importer but the transport company as well.

Freight Rates

Freight rates continue to increase and the shipping lines have announced additional increases that they would like to implement from the 01^st December. It is interesting that the shipping lines are finding new and novel descriptions for their increases rather than just a GRI. We have congestion surcharges, equipment shortage surcharges, additional booking and/or cancellation fees plus numerous other descriptions. Ultimately it all means the same thing, an increase in the freight rate.

Vox continues to work with our overseas partners to obtain the best rates and space required to move your goods. It is not an easy task but its one we believe outlines how, with a flexible approach to moving shipments, we can still get the shipments moved at a rate and time required.
If you have any questions in relation to the market, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Take care and stay safe.