Teamsters and IBEW unions give strike notice to CP Rail
Job action now possible within 72 hours
The Canadian Press · Posted: Apr 18, 2018 9:16 AM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago
Two unions representing about 3,400 workers at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. have formally served the company with 72-hour notice of their intent to strike.
The notice comes at a difficult time for the railway, which is under pressure from shippers to move backed-up grain shipments and supply more locomotives to the pipeline-constrained oil industry in Western Canada.
Both the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, representing about 3,000 CP Rail engineers and conductors, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, with about 365 signal and communications workers, cite a lack of progress at the bargaining table.
Absent a negotiated settlement, the unions say their workers will walk out at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
The company confirms it has received the strike notices but says it is committed to achieving a “win-win solution.” It says it presented the Teamsters with new three- and five-year agreement options on Monday and plans to present the IBEW with three- and five-year options today.
Both unions reached a tentative deal with Canadian National Railway Co. last month for new contracts for about 1,700 CN Teamsters workers and over 700 IBEW members.
Teamsters workers voted 94.2 per cent and IBEW workers voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action against CP Rail earlier this month.
“Serving a strike notice is part of the bargaining process that unions must follow if they want to be able to strike,” said Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel in a statement.
“We remain committed to achieving a win-win solution and urge the two unions to work closely with us and the federal mediators to achieve a positive outcome as soon as possible in the hours leading up to the deadline.“
Canadian Pacific workers voted 94.2 per cent on April 6 in favour of strike action to support their contract demands. (CBC)

Major Congestion in North China, Korea and Japan Due to Severe Fog
The heavy fog is still delaying many containers.
For example, the triangles below are ships in Shanghai at anchor waiting because the fog is too heavy and there is no place to dock in Shanghai.
Congestion exists throughout China, Korea and Japan.

HEAVY FOG IN YANGTZE RIVER AREA AND SHANGHAI PORT
Heavy fog hit Yangtze river area and Shanghai port from 27-March, reducing visibility and stranding ships.
Expected that the recent sea fog will continue to 2-Apr.
Shanghai maritime safety administration has implemented traffic control over the Yangtze River waterway and Shanghai port for several days (beginning in March 27th), and is expected to have a serious impact on the Yangtze river barge and the ship at Shanghai port. More than 1550 ships in the Yangtze River channel have been trapped at the ports along.
As of April 2, Shanghai port is still closed, continuing to control the ship entering into. According to the prediction of the observatory, the heavy fog may continue to 2-Apr. It will take time for normal port operation to recover after heavy fog. Therefore, it is expected That there will have a continuous impact, some sailing will be delay or canceled accordingly. It will also affect the ETD for the port of Loading which on same sailing and behind of Shanghai port, all POD’s ETA,  etc…

New York/New Jersey Ports Closing Early 3/7/18, and Closed for 3/8/18
PNCT’s gate will close at 2:00 PM. Terminal will be closed tomorrow (3/8) and reopen at 6 AM on March 9th. Free time extended for boxes not in demurrage.
Due to deteriorating conditions from the winter storm, APMT will be shutting down gate operations at 1:00 PM.  Stay tuned for further update.  Stay safe.
With accumulation & freezing temps expected overnight, all PONYNJ container terminals will be CLOSED on Thursday, March 8, 2018 for clean up. Stay safe!

Update on Trucking/Drayage in US
Equipment / Chassis Related Issues:
Many service locations are currently experiencing a severe chassis shortage. This shortage affects shipments that have been dispatched and scheduled. This shortage also affects appointments, cutoffs and Last Free Days. As chassis are released on the same day as equipment pick up, in many cases, no one knows in advance if a chassis can be secured until the day of the appointment.
Additionally, many parts of the country are getting snow and/or ice, which has begun to affect shipments.
Electronic Logging Device (ELD): The passing of the deadline for complying (December 2017) has changed the way trucking is being done (and regulations enforced), and is having a significant negative impact on driving time. Initial reports by truckers are that ELD has impacted their driving time by 20-40 percent, and more in some cases. This means that, essentially, 20-40% of the ability to move a container has been removed from the market. In addition, layover fees are being charged more frequently and more consistently by trucking companies. Combine these changes with the increased volumes that have been on a steady incline since mid-Fall, 2017, and we can anticipate that problems will continue. Beginning in April, per ELD requirements, drivers will not only be fined for going over hours, but they will receive points against their commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Please note that due to all the factors that are creating a significant impact on trucking options, if there is a problem with a trucking move, the ability to immediately resolve the problem is hampered as well. BOC will do the best we can to rectify any issues you may have and get you the best results possible.
Please contact your BOC Representative if you have any questions.

US CBP – Amendments to U.S. Custom and
Border Protection (CBP) In-Bond Movements

Please take note of a recent CBP amendment that applies to shipments moving in-bond into, or through, the US.
The new revision stipulates that cargo moving In-Bond in the U.S. must contain a 6-digit level Harmonize Tariff Schedule of the United States number (HTSUS) on the Bill of Lading.
NOTE: although the revision only applies to in-bond movements, many steamship lines are now starting to require the 6-digit HTS to be on the BL for all shipments.
This mandatory ruling took effect on November 27, 2017, with a 60 day informed compliance period during which time penalties will not be issued for non-compliance.
After January 27, 2018, US CBP may issue penalties for missing HTS codes on In-Bond Shipments and/or reject the in-bond request until the HTS code is provided.
To stay compliant, please ensure all BL data for cargo discharging at a USA port includes the HTS code in the HS Code field.
For more information, please visit CBP’s website at: https://www.cbp.gov/news/changes-bond-process-0
If you have any questions, please contact your BOC Representative. Thank you.

1,065-foot container ship breaks free from Boston terminal

BOSTON – A container ship broke free from a terminal in Boston, the Coast Guard confirmed early Wednesday morning.

The 1,065-foot ship “Helsinki Bridge” was at the Paul W. Conley Container Terminal when the 12 lines securing the vessel broke.

Terminal workers who were on the ship were able to get off, and no injuries were reported.

The Coast Guard caught up to the ship and brought it to Broad Sound, where it was anchored.

The ship will eventually be towed back to the terminal.

Please expect significant delays.

Source: WCVB.com