Anger from objectors as liner shipping block exemption extension is ‘nodded through'
© Joris484 By Mike Wackett 11/02/2020 A forum of shippers, freight forwarders and port service providers have slammed the high-handedness of the EC for including an extension of the consortia block exemption regulation (BER) for liner shipping in its 2020 work programme to the European parliament. The “done deal” for a four-year BER extension was included…
Shippers, freight forwarders and port service providers strongly object to the inclusion of the prolongation of the CBER in the Commission's Work Programme
Brussels, February 10th, 2020 Associations representing shippers, freight forwarders and port service providers object to the inclusion in the Commission’s 2020 Work Programme of the decision of the Commission to extend the Consortia Block Exemption for another four years with the justification that it “will continue to simplify the analysis of consortia’s compliance with competition rules, limit the…
Ships calling at EU ports will need inventory of hazmat certification
ALL ships entering a European Union port or anchorage will need to carry a valid and certificated Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) by the end of this year, according to the requirements of the 2013 EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR). Also, a requirement under the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally…
US President Trump signs USMCA into law, sealing a political win
US President Donald Trump has signed into law a new trade pact with Canada and Mexico, sealing a political victory that will help neutralise Democratic attacks on his economic record, reports Bloomberg. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, delivers on one of Trump’s core campaign promises: to replace the Clinton-era North American Free Trade agreement that…
Revealed: complex post-Brexit checks for Northern Irish traders
Transport and manufacturing heads criticise paperwork needed to trade with GB Lisa O’Carroll Brexit correspondent A ferry leaves Belfast port. Boris Johnson has said there will be no checks on trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters The “straightforward” document that Northern Irish businesses will need to complete to send goods to Great…
Feport: Stakeholders in the Maritime Logistic Supply urge the Commission to proceed to a proper objective evaluation of the Consortia BER
Brussels, January 17th, 2020 Stakeholders in the Maritime Logistic Supply urge the Commission to proceed to a proper objective evaluation of the Consortia BER to guarantee a real level playing field and a healthy functioning of the maritime logistics chain CLECAT, ETA, EBU, ESC, FEPORT, GSF, GSA and UIRR representing users of liner shipping services and…
Maersk Chief Warns EU Antitrust Policy Benefits China, US
© Oliver Hoffman / Adobe Stock Strict EU enforcement of competition rules prevents the development of the global champions necessary to compete with Chinese and U.S. companies, the head of shipping company Maersk warned in an interview. “Is it really a good idea that we don’t allow the creation of a European global champion? In…
Shippers' forum puts forward new criteria for EC liner consortia block exemption
ID 105538926 © Andreykuzmin | Dreamstime.com By Gavin van Marle 13/01/2020 As the EC continues to deliberate whether the liner shipping industry should enjoy a further four years of exemption from consortia legislation, the Global Shippers Forum has called on regulators to change how they evaluate alliances and their effect on the market. The Block Exemption…
US, China prepare to sign initial accord tomorrow to ease trade war
AS the US and China prepare to sign a first-stage trade accord tomorrow economic indicators show that the US economy remains largely unscathed by the two years of trade war with China, though it might take years to see the full impact. However during the past two year, US farmers took a big hit…
China to visit US next week to sign trade deal
CHINA’s trade delegation tentatively plans to spend four days in Washington from January 13 to sign the first phase of a trade deal with the US that would herald a truce, a source familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post. Led by Vice-Premier Liu He, China’s delegation initially planned to head…
China blasts US Defence Act and its support for Hong Kong protest
BEIJING said it “firmly opposes” trade restrictions included in a new US Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), having already admonished the bill for interfering in China’s internal affairs, reports Agence France-Presse. The NDAA calls for strengthening Washington’s ties with Taiwan and supports Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protestors – measures which Beijing said “blatantly interfered” in its internal affairs.…
Tensions mount between Greece and Turkey over maritime zone
David Glass | Dec 24, 2019 Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, are rising over a Turkish maritime zone deal and the region is preparing for a difficult January. There are expectations Turkey will make good on its threats to enforce the maritime zone deal it signed with the Libyan government, which questions Greece’s…
China trade deal to 'nearly double' US exports: US trade rep Lighthizer
THE “phase one” US-China trade deal will nearly double US exports to China over the next two years and is “totally done” despite the need for translation and revisions to its text, says [http://]US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Lawyers are now reviewing the text so that it’s ready to be signed in the first…