The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has scheduled an informal public hearing on February 7, 2024, to investigate the impact of conditions in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden regions on global supply chains and commercial shipping. The hearing aims to facilitate communication between stakeholders in the supply chain and [...]
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd recently signed a long-term agreement to form the "Gemini Cooperation." Scheduled to launch in February 2025, this new operational partnership will combine portions of each company's fleets to develop a global network with the goals of reducing transit times and lowering their carbon footprint. GEMINI COOPERATION "The [...]
The Panama Canal and the Suez Canal are important maritime passageways in the global supply chain. Strategically located to facilitate efficient trade, these canals act as connectors between major trading zones. The Panama Canal links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, offering a faster route for vessels navigating between North and [...]
CBP IMPLEMENTS TEMPORARY OPERATIONAL CHANGES U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has temporarily suspended international railway crossing bridges in both Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas until further notice. This latest operational move was implemented to redirect personnel to support the U.S. Border patrol due to a surge of smuggling [...]
RED SEA AND SUEZ CANAL UPDATE Six of the largest shipping companies recently announced they have rerouted or paused operations in the Red Sea shipping lanes until further notice due to several missile attacks on container vessels last week. German-owned Hapag-Lloyd and French carrier, CMA CGM have declared that the [...]
DRY CANALS PROVIDE OPTIONS Central American dry canals have emerged as alternatives to the Panama Canal, offering potential new options for global shipping. These projects, characterized by high-capacity rail connections or highway corridors linking the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, will contribute to the diversification of maritime routes. [...]
The prolonged drought in Panama continues to weigh on the supply chain. Since the most recent transit limitations, conditions have worsened, resulting in a continuous decline in daily transits projecting to be as low as 18 per day by February. The restrictions have led to an estimated $200 million loss [...]
EPA RULING: PHASEDOWN OF HYDROFLUOROCARBONS The EPA recently published a ruling regarding global warming potential (GWP) from hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) being imported to or manufactured in the United States. The ruling includes new restrictions that take effect on January 1, 2025, prohibiting the manufacturing and importing of products that utilize higher-GWP [...]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) addressed the nuanced scope of the term "testing" concerning duty-free Temporary Importation under Bond (TIB) in a recent ruling. The ruling centered around a manufacturing company's imported finstock metal (described as a mix of stainless-steel products, copper plates, sheet or strip, and aluminum foil) [...]
Officers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) recently filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in a Northern District Court of California. The ILWU seeks relief after a lengthy legal dispute with terminal operator ICTSI. “We intend to use the chapter 11 process to implement a plan that will [...]
