US Export Restrictions Expand - Russia Responds with Import Bans On July 29, 2014, The U.S. Commerce Department advised that it is further restricting trade with Russia in response to Russia's continued actions supporting separatists in Ukraine. BIS will institute a policy denying export, reexport or foreign transfer of certain items for use in Russia's energy sector that … [Read more...]
Peak Season Surcharges / General Rate Increases – What are they and when do they apply?
Peak Season Surcharges / General Rate Increases - What are they and when do they apply? Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) and General Rate Increases (GRI) are charges imposed by steamship lines during times of high demand or rising costs. The amounts of these fees can vary greatly by carrier as they are dependent on each carrier’s own projected supply and demand. PSS are … [Read more...]
What is LCL cargo?
What is LCL cargo? LCL stands for Less [Than] Container Load. When you are moving a shipment LCL, this means you are sharing space in a full container with other shippers and therefore sharing the costs as well. Many freight forwarders/NVOCC’s offer these services as a lower cost freight option when you have smaller shipments or not enough cargo to fill an entire … [Read more...]
West Coast Ports: Talks Going Smoothly
West Coast Ports: Talks Going Smoothly Though no contract yet, the talks are going smoothly. From JOC: Yet even though it now looks like it will be sometime in August before a new agreement is in place, no one is panicking and tensions appear low. Why? The reason is that McKenna in his TPM comments was true to his word in another, far more important sense. He predicted … [Read more...]
The Latest: West Coast Port Negotiations
The Latest: West Coast Port Negotiations ILWU-PMA talks will resume Aug. 4 Contract negotiations talks are in recess until August 4th so that the ILWU can participate in in talks with grain handlers in the Northwest. From the JOC: In a joint statement, the ILWU and PMA said the past three days were marked by “productive” contract talks. Negotiations on the coastwide … [Read more...]