Latest Update – Ukraine/Russia Situation and Floods in QLD

Attention: Shipping Manager

• Ukraine/Russia Situation

The current situation in Ukraine and Russia has resulted in disruptions and changes in the operational outlook across the region and is affecting the global supply chain substantially.

All shipping lines have currently stopped services and bookings to/from Ukraine.  All terminal operations and inland transportation have stopped.  Services in Russia with a few carriers currently remain available but are potentially subject to change as the situation develops. Other carriers have already temporarily suspended services to/from Russia and Belarus.

For those impacted by this stoppage, one major shipping line is offering several relief packages including free change of destination services, no cancellation fee on bookings to/from Ukraine, interim stop of the detention and demurrage clock for containers in Ukraine for the upcoming days.

Cargo currently en route to Ukraine is being discharged to nearby ports such as Port Said, Egypt and Korfez, Turkey. As ports in Europe have been experiencing congestion for quite some time already, this will put more pressure on major ports across Europe.

Furthermore, all airlines have cancelled and rerouted flights to avoid Ukraine and the surrounding regions in Eastern Europe due to the current state of events.

We will be closely following the situation and will keep you updated with further information as it comes to hand.

 

• Floods in QLD – Terminal and road closures

 Queensland has been experiencing heavy and continual rainfall contributing to widespread flooding, with hundreds of road closures throughout the state. As a result, vessels scheduled to arrive over the weekend at the terminals have not been pulling into the port of Brisbane.  This has resulted in slots already secured on those vessels being cancelled by the terminals. Hutchison ports in Brisbane has ceased all vessel movements due to continuing intense rain and storms across Brisbane since Sunday 27^th February. The terminal will aim to ensure vessels are turned around as quickly as possible to minimise delays and impact to shipping services.

Due to the extreme weather event, the majority of depots, facilities and trucking operators have decided to close for operations today, Monday 28^th February, to ensure the safety of their staff and transport drivers.  Many workers are isolated and cannot leave their homes due to extensive flooding. As a significant amount of roads and highways are closed, all import and export delivery schedules will need to be adjusted and major delays are anticipated.

Operations are expected to resume tomorrow, Tuesday 1^st March.

If you have any concerns regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact your customer service representative.