EU drafts N Ireland plan to avert collision with British PM
THE European Union is drafting proposals to address British concerns about trade flows between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to be presented as early as this week, reports Bloomberg. The EU will offer greater flexibility in shipping pharmaceuticals into Northern Ireland and the process for inspecting food products while simplifying customs checks…
Brexit: Most NI checks on British goods to be scrapped
By John Campbell & Colm Kelpie BBC News NI Economics & Business Editor IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGESImage caption,The protocol avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland The EU has released its plan for a reduction of post-Brexit checks on goods and medicines arriving into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. Northern Ireland…
Biden hangs tough on China policy - Trump tariffs to remain
CHINA’s unfair trading practices have not yet been tackled, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told the Centre for Strategic and International Studies last week, reports Kansas City’s Meat + Poultry. “For too long, China’s lack of adherence to global trading norms has undercut the prosperity of Americans and others around the world,” Ms Tai…
South Korea amends Shipping Act, but too late to avert heavy fines on carriers
The National Assembly Building of the Republic of Korea Credit: ClumsyForeigner By Martina Li in Taiwan 07/10/2021 South Korea has amended its Shipping Act to protect its shipping industry from falling foul of anti-trust laws, but the move may have come too late to help 23 liner operators avert massive fines of nearly $672m. In June,…
ATA urges Buttigieg to provide self-driving national rules
THE American Trucking Associations (ATA) urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to move forward on implementing a national framework for the development and deployment of automated vehicles, reports the American Journal of Transportation. “Implementing a federal AV framework that fosters the safe deployment of AVs can help the Biden Administration to shepherd in a safer,…
EU and US unite to bolster trade and battle climate change
© Eren Erol Dreamstime.com By Nick Savvides 30/09/2021 The EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC), which yesterday met for the first time, has agreed to co-operate on what it called key global technology, economic and trade issues, which includes environmental and secure supply chain matters. Representatives from the EU, including EC executive VPs Margrethe Vestager…
Executive Order 14036 encourages competition compliance for shipping companies
President Joe Biden has issued Executive Order 14036 “Promoting Competition in the American Economy” (“the EO”) which was signed on 9 July 2021. The EO has the goal to promote competition within the U.S. economy to lower prices for families, increase wages for workers, promote innovation and foster economic growth. The EO puts forward 72…
Biden kicks off Americas version of the Belt and Road Initiative
Kim BiggarSeptember 29, 2021 A delegation of US officials will visit Colombia, Ecuador and Panama this week in a “listening tour” intended to identify potential infrastructure-development projects in the region. Led by President Biden’s Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh, the trip will include meetings with Colombian President Ivan Duque, Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso, Panamanian…
UK government to blame for Brexit delays, says logistics sector
© Charlieaja | By Alex Whiteman 20/09/2021 It is UK government “unreadiness” that is the source of further delays to Brexit customs procedure implementation, while associations, brokers, forwarders, ports, and retailers are “ready”. Last week the UK government announced that it would further delay the implementation of export health certificates, phytosanitary (SPS) certificates and safety and…
FMC votes in favour of tighter controls to monitor shipping practices
THE US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has approved two initiatives that aim to rein in what shippers call the egregious billing practices of ocean carriers around the use of containers, part of the FMC’s efforts to better police international shipping. The commission said its five members voted unanimously to approve the initiatives, which stem…
Shipper supply chain concerns outlined to EC in new letter to regulator
Source: PSA International By Nick Savvides 16/09/2021 In another letter to the European Commission (EC), ten shipper and forwarder organisations have again outlined their concerns over the liner shipping market, raising the new complaint that carriers are abusing their dominant position to obtain commercially sensitive data. According to the letter, seen by The Loadstar, the information liner…
Shippers urge EC and other regulators to take charge of 'skewed' liner market
© Alphaspirit | By Alex Lennane 14/09/2021 Regulators must start to take an interest in the “unfair” container line market, according to shippers. “The writing is on the wall for the European Commission,” Global Shippers’ Forum director James Hookham told The Loadstar Podcast. “It has always been a slightly unfair market. Shippers don’t begrudge the profits being…
US authorities lead the way in moves to revitalise 'failing' global supply chains
By Nick Savvides 14/09/2021 After last week’s tripartite meeting, when regulators agreed to collaborate to find solutions to failing supply chains, US shippers have backed new legislation that aims to rebalance the shipper-carrier relationship. In an open letter, 152 US companies and trade associations wrote of their “strong support for the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of…
Dear President Biden: 'please help us' – love, US exporters
© | Dreamstime.com By Alex Lennane 13/09/2021 Some 76 agricultural and related-industry exporters have written to President Biden to urge the US administration to do more to solve the supply chain crisis. While noting positive steps by transport secretary Pete Buttigieg and the FMC, they added that further actions were required. They explained: “Carriers are increasingly…
Walmart, Amazon and Cargill among 24-member new shipper advisory group in the US
Sam ChambersSeptember 10, 2021 Port of Long Beach Some of the biggest shipper names in the world are on the newly formed National Shipper Advisory Committee created by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in the US, one of many measures American regulators and politicians are taking to try and tackle this year’s extreme supply chain…
Japan backs Taiwan's bid to join Transpac Partnership trade pact
JAPANESE lawmakers backed Taiwan’s entry into a Pacific trade pact meant to counter China’s opposition, reports Bloomberg. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers pledged to support Taiwan’s addition to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Transpacific Partnership. The party also called on Taipei to help ensure that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co picks Japan as a…
New Shipping Act leaves FMC to define unreasonable rejections
PROPOSED changes to the law in the US aimed at strengthening enforcement of container lines’ common carriage responsibilities to serve exports will leave it to maritime regulators to determine when it’s unreasonable for carriers to not accept bookings, reports IHS Media. If passed, the updated Shipping Act of 1984 will be changed for the first…