Industrial Action at the Wharf’s 

We have received notification that the Maritime Union and DP World have been unable to reach an agreement in their latest discussions in relation to a new Enterprise Agreement. What this means is Union’s will continue to implement bans throughout the country at all DP World sites.

The bans include stoppages of 1 or 2 hours, per shift, where terminal operations will cease and also include further work restrictions. This will mean a premium on time-slots and truck utilisation.

If the action affect’s your deliveries we will let you know. Our team is fully aware of the action and working to make sure our clients are not affected.

Destination Charges Continue to Rise 

Notifications have been received and empty container parks and container chain costs in Brisbane are continuing to rise. These increases are coming into place as of the 01^st August upwards of 25 & 40% for the return of empty containers and time-slot bookings for container returns.

Unfortunately the continued increase in costs appears to be unabated. We are negotiating with our transport providers to mitigate the costs as much as possible however, there will be increases implemented from the 01^st August.

Industry associations from shippers, forwarders, customs brokers and importers are continue to lobby the relevant state and federal ministers to intervene and put a stop to these increases, however to date all levels of government have been reluctant to get involved.

If the current round of increases follow the same path as previous increases, all stevedores and container parks Nation-wide will impose increases to match the current increases in Brisbane. We will continue to advise our clients of the market situation as often as possible.

Oceanfreight Rates and Space 

The current space out of Asia is continuing to be tight and there can be delays of up to a week or two in obtaining space and shipment of the containers. We ask all client’s to provide as much notice as possible to allow us to secure the space for your shipments. As we get close to peak season the space will continue to tighten.

The shipping lines continue to announce General Rate Increases (GRI’s) however, we have managed to secure rates which are extremely competitive, so do not hesitate to contact Claire and Celeste to assist in rate and space negotiations.