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March 12, 2013
As reported by IATA's Jet Fuel Price Monitor, the price of jet fuel increased in January and into February. Certain airfreight fuel surcharge costs have increased and Ton’s will make adjustments to its airfreight fuel surcharges from the below regions to the following levels effective Monday, March 18, 2013. From Europe/Africa: From Middle East / Indian Sub-continent: From North America: From Latin America: From Asian origins, Ton’s provides information on adjustments to the fuel surcharge levels for exports through a country specific fuel surcharge matrix updated on a weekly basis. There are regular adjustments to airfreight fuel surcharges applied to shipments from Asia, and the changes can be viewed in the weekly matrix. Ton’s customers can obtain a copy of the fuel surcharge matrix by contacting their local Ton’s office.
US imports expected to rise 2.3pc in March despite 'customs slowdown' IMPORT container volume at US major ports is expected to rise 2.3 per cent in March year on year despite federal spending cuts that could slow down customs clearance, says Global Port Tracker. "Retailers are aware of the impact of the cuts on customs operations and are working to plan so the impact is minimised," said National Retail Federation vice president Jonathan Gold, whose group commissions the report from Hackett Associates. US ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.33 million TEU in January, the latest month for which solid data are available. That was up 0.9 per cent from December and 3.7 per cent from January 2012. February, historically the slowest month of the year, was estimated at 1.16 million TEU, up 6.8 per cent from a year ago. March is forecast at 1.27 million TEU, up 2.3 per cent from last year; April at 1.35 million TEU, up 3.5 per cent; May at 1.44 million TEU, up 5.5 per cent; June also at 1.44 million TEU, up 4.2 per cent, and July at 1.46 million TEU, up 3.2 per cent. The first six months of 2013 are expected to total eight million TEU, up 4.3 per cent from the first half of 2012. The total for 2012 was 15.8 million TEU, up 2.9 per cent from 2011. "At the port level there may well be a slowdown in customs clearance but trade will continue to flow," Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. "It may cause terminal congestion if the backlog builds up, and that needs to be planned for in advance." Global Port Tracker covers the US ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Houston.
On March 4, 2013, the European Commission issued a press release announcing that an agreement has been reached between the European Union (EU) and Canada, which focuses on safer trade between both regions. According to the press release, "the Agreement builds on the existing customs cooperation agreement with Canada and extends it to include supply chain security and related risk management matters. It will allow closer cooperation between the two parties, with a view to ensuring a high level of security while facilitating legitimate trade between the EU and Canada." The release mentions that the agreement will cover mutual recognition on the following programs: The Agreement will take effect in the upcoming months. More information will be provided as it becomes available. The press release by the European Commission is available online at:
New Steps Announced Towards Export Control Reform Initiative On March 8, 2013, the White House published an Executive Order, along with a Fact Sheet, to announce a series of changes towards advancing the Export Control Reform Initiative, which focus on updating the delegated authorities for consistency purposes with previous changes to control lists. The new Executive Order includes the following changes: The Fact Sheet also notes that Congress was notified of a number of proposed changes to controls on Aircraft and Gas Turbine, which are part of the U.S. Monition List. The document explains that, as part of President Obama's Export Control Reform Initiative, "the remaining USML changes will be published on a rolling basis throughout 2013, and ultimately will update every category of defense articles to better meet current national security and economic challenges." The Executive Order can be found online at: The Fact Sheet is available online at:
Tons News, for current and past issues of Tons News by E-mail request from tonsnews@tonslogistics.com or call (310) 338-0337. ________________________________________ Tons News is compiled from a number of public sources that, to the best of Tons knowledge, are true and correct. It is our intent to present only accurate information. However, in the event any information contained herein is erroneous, Tons accepts no liability or responsibility. |