United States Restricts Import of Rice In Personal Effects Shipments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has announced new restrictions on the import of rice as part of any “non-commercial” shipment which would include household goods and personal effects.  Import of any quantity of rice is now prohibited from all countries known to have Khapra beetle which includes, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The action has been taken as a result of the increasing number of detections at U.S. ports of entry of infested shipments of rice from these countries and the threat posed to agricultural products.

Palmer International has updated it’s library of customs information to reflect this restriction.

Customs Clearance Delays

Please advise corporate clients and transferees of the potential for delays and additional costs currently being experienced for the following ports of entry:

United Arab Emirates (Port of Jebel Ali)

The North American representative in the United Arab Emirates has reported growing delays in clearance of shipments into the Port of Dubai (Jebel Ali) as a result of the recent discovery of guns in a commercial (non-household goods) consignment. Consequently there has been a major increase in security on all goods entering Dubai and 100% of containers are now being X-Rayed, unloaded, inspected, and re-loaded.

This has created both delays and increased labor and demurrage costs.  To compound the situation authorities have restricted the number of containers allowed to be cleared per day by a single moving company.  Customs authorities will only allow moving companies to clear 1 to 2 containers per day each. Only when you have finished your container are you allowed to line up again to try and do a second.

Shenzen, China

Delays are currently being experienced with customs clearance in Shenzen as a result of changes in the computer system operated by customs authorities in this city. This issue will be made worse by an international sporting event in Shenzen between August 12-23 during which time further delays are expected.  Palmer International is looking at opportunities to consign all air and sea shipments for delivery in the Shenzen region to the neighboring Port of Guangzhou to minimize delays for customers moving to this region of China.

Palmer Moving &  Storage celebrated it’s first annual “Fireworks, Food, and Fun” celebration on July 1, 2011. The celebration was held to commemorate  our country’s Independence, as well as say thank you to our hardworking staff for continually “Thrilling the Customer”. The event was held at Palmer Corporate Headquarters and was a fun family event for all ages. The party boasted a D.J., magician, Bounce House, “Goody Bags” for children, and was catered by Famous Dave’s Barbeque. The night ended with a spectacular firework display presented by the city of Hazel Park. “It was so fun seeing staff from all different departments mingle, laugh, and have a good time” said Kristy Maiorana, long distance dispatch coordinator. “The kids had a blast, and are already saying they can’t wait to do it all again next year”, added Nancy Newby, Claims Director. We wholeheartedly agree!

The Perfect Storm

Summertime is the “in season” for the moving industry.  Around 55% of household goods moves occur between May and September. In recent years, this busy season has slowed to a very manageable volume, due to the economy.  Additionally, moving companies are operating leaner than ever before, trying to keep the drivers they retain busy.  

There are several issues impacting the trucking industry as a whole with ripple effects through the moving industry as well. Every industry that employs drivers is working very hard to ensure their current drivers are qualified and that new drivers are brought into the mix to pick-up the gap between capacity and demand. Our specific market niche has some more difficult nuances in developing talent at the driver level. Our Driver employees are also expected to be customer centric in the way that they interact with transferees and qualified in the trade of packing and loading of household goods to ensure limited claims.

According to an article in USA Today , the trucking industry as a whole is expecting a shortage of over 400,000 drivers in 2011. Coupled with a projected corporate volume increase of 8% in 2011 and strong new regulations on driver work requirements, more drivers will be needed to service the same amount of shipments in 2010 alone. “The moving industry packs in nearly 55% of its business during summer, leaving a trail of often-frustrated consumers in its wake.”

Japan Update

 Palmer International would like to confirm the latest situation from our moving services providers in Japan.

 Up until today  air shipments have been arriving into Narita (the main Tokyo International Airport) without delay.  However, as a result of concerns regarding the earlier explosion at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant some airlines have canceled some or all flights into Tokyo. Although the threat of radiation leakage has subsequently subsided, the reduction in flights is likely to create delays in arrival and departure of air shipments. In addition, resources at airports are naturally focused around aid shipments and this is resulting in delays in customers clearance of non-essential shipments such as household goods.

With reference to general collections and deliveries of shipments in and around the Tokyo area, the main problems relate to fuel shortages which is reducing the number of trucks being dispatched. There is currently a limit of 50 litres per vehicle in place at all gas stations in Tokyo although the Japanese government has announced that fuel reserves are to be released by the weekend.

Agents should work closely with their clients and their Palmer International  move coordinator on any shipments to and from Japan.  Agents should be particularly careful in identifying clients travel plans prior to providing instructions to send shipments – our agents in Japan are seeing some shipments arriving from other forwarders where the client has decided to cancel their travel plans.  This will lead to increased costs and further complications for the client.

As always, Palmer International will continue to update developments.

Shipments to and from Egypt

Many of you will have seen the news concerning the ongoing political unrest in Egypt.

North American is in contact with clients, agents, steamship lines, and air carriers to determine whether it is possible or prudent to move shipments to and from Egypt at this time.  At the current time port operations across Egypt have been suspended and the majority of businesses remain closed.

Shipments to and from France

Further to previous information national port unions in France are calling for the current industrial action to continue.  The North American agent in France has reported continued stoppages at the ports of Marseilles, Le Havre and in addition the port of Rouen.

This industrial action is causing delays and additional costs to clients where vessels are delayed or skip a French port due to the action.

Please work closely with your North American move coordinator regarding any shipment moving to or from France at this time.

Developments will be reported.

January 27, 2011

Queensland, Australia – Flooding

Many of you will have seen the extensive flooding in Queensland, Australia. The North American representative in Australia has reported that their office and warehouse in Brisbane was not damaged and storage consignments were not affected.

The floodwaters in and around Brisbane have now receded and things are returning to normal although there are enormous cleanup efforts in place. Roads around Brisbane have reopened and Brisbane airport operations are back to normal. The rail infrastructure through Queensland has been damaged in a number of geographical locations and rail services are not expected to be fully functional again until the beginning of February.

The port has also reopened however due to silting and the possibility of submerged debris there are considerable operational restrictions in place which may cause vessels calling at Brisbane port some minor delays over coming weeks. These are not expected to be serious or long term.

Please let your North American International coordinator know if you have any questions or concerns.

Air Freight to the USA – Update

Further to previous information regarding Homeland Security restrictions prohibiting the transport of household goods and personal effects on passenger aircraft, there has been no change to the situation on air freight shipments destined for the United States.

In many countries we continue to be able to move personal effects on cargo only flights while some countries continue to perceive the restrictions as a total ban on the transport of personal effects by air.

Please be sure to work closely with your move coordinator at North American International on any air freight shipment moving to the United States in order that the client can be provided with accurate expectations.

Chinese New Year

The North American representative in China reports that due to the Chinese New Year holidays, all offices and government institutions in China will be closed from 2 February, 2011 to 8 February, 2011.

As a result of the length of the holiday it is important that you work with North American International and your client to avoid delays and additional port or storage costs.

New European Security Requirements

From midnight on December 31, 2010 shipping lines are required to make an electronic declaration to the appropriate customs authority with security data on goods before they leave or enter any of the twenty-seven member states of the European Union (EU).

This will be done through an “Entry Summary Declaration” or “ENS” – a set of shipment related data that the shipping line will be required to transmit to the relevant EU customs for any ocean shipment going to or via an EU Port.

North American International has this new requirement well in hand in order to comply with the regulation and avoid delays and penalties to customers.

Industrial Action at French Ports

Industrial action by port workers shut down shipping terminals at all France’s main ports last weekend. The strike disrupted freight traffic at Marseille-Fos port on the south coast – France’s biggest – and other port facilities including Le Havre on the English Channel, Nantes, Bordeaux and La Rochelle. This was the second weekend port strike in France in a row as workers press demands for early retirement.

The North American Representative in France reports that the industrial action is already causing delays and could deteriorate further should the strike action escalate. Some shipping lines are already re-routing vessels to avoid French ports which will result in delays and extra costs.

Cargo Theft

A recent report has revealed that cargo theft in the US jumped by 4.1% in 2010, to 889 incidents – the highest annual figure on record. The vast majority of these incidents were full-truckload or container thefts.

North American International would again remind agents that international shipments loaded in containers or on trucks must be held within a secured area. Where this is not possible, the doors of vehicles and containers must be placed against the side of a building to prevent access. Shipping containers must be secured with an appropriate locking device to prevent entry and theft of the container.

         Karen Kolecki

    I have been in the relocation industry since 1981.
For eight years I was on the road performing packing, loading and delivery services. The decision to take my skills into the office was easy enough. I knew the moment I was in customer service that it was for me. Considering I have done customer service for Palmer Moving & Storage for over 20 years, I obviously love it!!!

I am passionate about my job and take great pride in helping my customers with their relocation. At the end of the day,  I enjoy knowing that I’ve played a positive role in such an important step for our clients.

IMPORTANT CUSTOMER NOTICE

November 10, 2010

On November 8^th the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a press release which has an immediate effect on air cargo bound for the United States from overseas.

Based upon announcements made by airlines since the press release, household goods and personal effects are being classified as “high risk”.

We have received information from airlines indicating this will be effective for at least 30 days beginning November 8, 2010.

In spite of conflicting information, at the current time we believe that household goods and personal effects shipments will continue to be permitted on cargo-only aircraft.  This is a rule that has been in place for air freight exports of household goods and personal effects from the United States for a number of years and we will be working with our agents overseas to comply with the requirement in addition to doing our utmost to mitigate any impact to our customers.  However, the potential clearly exists for delays and additional costs while the air cargo community adjusts to these new restrictions.

We expect to gain more clarity in the coming days.  In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact Palmer International should you have any questions or concerns, or leave a comment below.

Sincerely,

The Palmer International Team