Container ship crashed into Baltimore Bridge! It used to be docked at domestic ports! Russia relaxes foreign trade transaction regulations | Foreign Trade News Express
The port is closed indefinitely! The shipping company declared force majeure!
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Eastern Time, the container ship "Daly" accidentally collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, USA, causing the 2.5-kilometer-long bridge to collapse in seconds. After the incident, Baltimore and Maryland quickly declared a state of emergency. The Maryland Port Authority immediately issued a statement,Declared a suspension of vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore until further notice.The move means that shipping channels at the Port of Baltimore have been blocked indefinitely, potentially causing serious disruption to the entire U.S. shipping system.
The Port of Baltimore, an important port in Maryland, is now facing a suspension of ship traffic. Port officials cannot predict how long the suspension will last. It may take weeks or even months for the port to resume operations due to the removal of bridge debris. The accident has had a significant impact on the sea lanes, forcing ship operators to turn to other ports.
Data from MarineTraffic, a ship tracking and maritime analytics provider, shows that there are still more than 40 ships in the Port of Baltimore, including small cargo ships, tugboats and cruise ships. In addition, at least 30 other ships have signaled their destination as Baltimore, 10 of which are currently anchored. According to Alphaliner,It is expected that access to the Port of Baltimore will be restricted or completely closed for weeks or even months.
At around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the ship, managed by Synergy Group and chartered to Maersk, hit the bridge support column, causing most of the bridge to fall into the Patapsco River. According to the voyage data recorder, a few minutes before the accident, at 1:26 a.m., the ship's navigator had urgently called for tugboat assistance. Then, at 1:27 a.m., the navigator decisively ordered to drop anchor and try to control the ship's course.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed on the 27th that the container ship's engine underwent routine maintenance while it was docked at the port. A worker at the Port of Baltimore told CNN,The Daly suffered a "severe power outage" in the days before it lost power.Julie Mitchell, co-administrator responsible for tracking the tonnage of container ships entering and leaving Baltimore, also told CNN:The ship had suffered a two-day power outage before setting off.
"The electrical problem they had was pretty severe. It was a complete electrical failure, the engines lost power, everything was affected," Mitchell said, describing the situation.Special mention was made of the ship's freezer, whose circuit breakers frequently tripped due to power problems.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported comments from officers on board the ship, describing the vessel’s serious malfunction: “The ship was out of service, unable to steer, and all electronic equipment failed. One of the engines made a strange noise and stopped working, and the cabin was filled with the smell of burning fuel and was completely dark.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Wednesday that it is still unclear when the port will reopen. Ten commercial ships are currently stuck at the port and unable to leave because the debris from the collapsed bridge has not yet been cleared. He stressed:“Rebuilding won’t be quick, it won’t be easy, it won’t be cheap, but it will be done.”Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world's largest container shipping company, has issued a warning to its customers.It said it could take "several months" for port operations to return to normal and excluded Baltimore from its service area for the "foreseeable future."
MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyThe latest notice stated: "Given the current situation, we anticipate that cargo on board and at the Baltimore terminal will experience significant delays." As the Port Authority has decided to close the port,MSC has decided to suspend all service to Baltimore for the next period of time, until port access is reopened and confirmed safe.We estimate this may take several months.During this period, all MSC customers' cargo will be re-routed and unloaded at alternative ports.
MSC further stated that they are urgently developing a response plan and will contact each cargo stakeholder directly to ensure timely communication of information. At the same time, they will also closely monitor the latest developments in Baltimore so as to make timely adjustments.
Maersk issued a statement immediately after the accident, expressing its deep shock at the incident and its thoughts with all those affected. It also confirmed thatThe management company of the "DALI" is Synergy Group. Maersk chartered it and carried customers' cargo, but there were no Maersk employees on board.The company is closely monitoring the progress of the investigations by the authorities and Synergy and is committed to doing its best to provide customers with the latest information.
Maersk announced that many routes will be affected by the "DALI" bridge collision accident.Including transatlantic TA2 and TA5, transpacific TP12, Amex (US East Coast - South Africa route) and AGAS route (US East Coast - Caribbean Sea)The company was temporarily unable to reach Bentley Harbor in Baltimore due to damage and debris on the bridge.Maersk will omit the Baltimore call on all services until it is deemed safe to transit the area.
Containerized cargo that has sailed to Baltimore will be transferred to a nearby port for unloading and transported to its destination by truck or rail.Maersk is closely monitoring the safety situation in Baltimore and assessing the feasibility of resuming traffic. At the same time, it reminds customers that they need to unload their cargo at other ports.There may be delays in shipments from Baltimore.
CMA CGMIn the force majeure announcement on the 27th, it was stated that since the Port of Baltimore has closed ship traffic until further notice, CMA CGM has formulated the following contingency plan in accordance with Article 10 of the terms and conditions of the bill of lading:
The arrangements for export containers from Baltimore are as follows:
- Unless expressly instructed by shippers, cargo currently docked at the terminal will remain there until the port reopens.
- In view of the current situation, the terminal will suspend receiving new export cargoes from 11:00 a.m. on March 26, 2024. The specific resumption time will be notified separately.
- Please note that if the cargo needs to be re-routed to an alternative loading port, the associated costs will be borne by the shipper.
- We are currently unable to accept any new export orders to the Port of Baltimore. For shipments that require rescheduling of loading ports, we recommend considering the Port of Norfolk or the Port of New York as alternatives.
The measures for handling Baltimore's import containers are as follows:
For goods in transit, we will arrange to unload at an alternative port and terminate CMA CGM's bill of lading service.
- The specific alternative unloading port will be notified to relevant parties in due course.
- For cargo that has been booked but not yet loaded at departure, please always contact the reservations office at the port of departure to confirm alternate routing options.
- We are not accepting any new import bookings to Baltimore until further notice. Alternative discharge ports will be Norfolk or New York whenever possible.
Evergreen ShippingTwo announcements were issued on the 26th and 27th:
The force majeure announcement issued on the 27th stated:Following the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, EvergreenLine has declared a "force majeure" event due to circumstances beyond its control and based on clause 21 of the Evergreen bill of lading.
For all Evergreen Line shipments, including export shipments originally scheduled to load in Baltimore and import shipments originally scheduled to unload/destinate in Baltimore,The cargo will be unloaded at any convenient and safe port. The corresponding transportation contract will be deemed terminated and all liabilities of the carrier will be terminated at the same time in accordance with the above terms.The bridge collapse constitutes a force majeure event, which has seriously affected the normal service and expected performance of cargo ships in the Port of Baltimore. Therefore, the affected parties should be aware that Evergreen Line recognizes that this disaster is such an event and will exercise all rights in accordance with the contract provisions and general maritime and common law. After this force majeure event ends, Evergreen will promptly issue a relevant change announcement.In the announcement on cargo information released on the 26th, it stated:For export cargoes scheduled to load at Baltimore, please contact our Customer Service team immediately so we can review alternative routing options for all cargoes. Evergreen is making emergency arrangements to retrieve export cargoes scheduled to load at the Baltimore terminal in light of the Maryland Port Authority's recommendation that the Port of Baltimore remain closed for at least one month.All costs associated with removal, storage or arranging an alternative location during this process will be borne by the shipper. Therefore, starting March 28, 2024, we will cancel all confirmed Baltimore bookings.On the other hand, the import cargo currently being handled by Ports America Chesapeake Terminal will remain open. The import berth is operating normally, and empty containers that have not been loaded should be returned according to normal procedures. As for the import cargo ships waiting to be unloaded at the Port of Baltimore, we will closely monitor their dynamics and inform relevant parties in a timely manner when there is further news.
Russia relaxes foreign trade rules
The Russian Central Bank said on March 27 that it would relax rules for Russian companies to trade with foreign partners and increase the amount of transactions that companies must submit documents to regulators.No documents are required as long as the transaction value does not exceed 1 million rubles ($10,850), compared to the previous threshold of 600,000 rubles.
South Korea's cross-border e-commerce imports from China surge
According to a set of statistics released by the Korea Customs Service (Customs) recently, the scale of cross-border e-commerce goods imported by South Korea from China in 2023 increased by 70.3% year-on-year to 88.815 million pieces. The total volume of cross-border e-commerce imports from South Korea in 2023 increased by 36.7% year-on-year to about 131 million pieces. The growth rate of imports from China is much higher than the overall import growth rate.
The scale of South Korea's online shopping from China has increased year by year, from 27.483 million items in 2020 to 52.154 million items in 2022, and further to 88.815 million items in 2023.The proportion of online purchases from China has also increased year by year from 43% in 2020 to 68% last year. In 2023, the amount of online purchases from China in South Korea will increase by 58.5% year-on-year., to US$2.359 billion, an increase much higher than the growth rate of overall cross-border e-commerce imports (11.7%).
Argentina liberalizes imports of some basic basket products and medicines
Argentina's Clarin and El Financio reported on March 12 that Argentine presidential spokesman Adoni said that since the price increase in Argentina has exceeded inflation expectations, the government has decided to liberalize the import of some products in the basic basket and suspend the additional collection of value-added tax and capital gains tax on imported products and medicines for 120 days to adjust the current high prices in Argentina.
The products that are planned to be liberalized for import include:Bananas, potatoes, pork, coffee, tuna, cocoa products, pesticides, shampoo, diapers, etc..also,The central bank plans to shorten payment terms for imports of food, beverages, cleaning, care and personal hygiene products, the importer's payment requirement was changed from four installments of 30 days, 60 days, 90 days and 120 days to a one-time payment of 30 days.
Bangladesh allows import and export transactions through countertrade
Bangladesh Business Standard reported on March 11 that the Bangladesh Central Bank issued a guide to countertrade procedures on March 10. From now on, Bangladeshi traders can voluntarily enter into countertrade arrangements with foreign merchants.Offset import payments with goods exported from Bangladesh, no need to pay in foreign currency。
Experts say the system will boost trade with new markets and ease pressure on foreign exchange.
Uzbekistan will exempt import tariffs on many types of tractors
According to Presidential Decree No. 115 of March 5, 2024, Uzbekistan will exempt from customs duties on several models of tractors (HS codes 8432 29 100 0, 8701 10000 0, 8701 91 100 0 and 8701 94 100) until January 1, 2027.
In addition, the presidential decree also provides a series of preferential policies for planting, animal husbandry and horticulture.
India updates labelling requirements for imported wine
On March 13, 2024, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced updated labeling requirements for imported wines, with HS codes 2204 and 2205. India imported more than $433 million (6.7 million liters) of wine products in 2023.
In addition to the previous general requirements for wine labels, the new regulations set out new information requirements for wine labels: Declaration of origin (country or state) and sweetness of the wine. Declaration of common name of grape or fruit, raw material, geographical origin, vintage of the wine, if required. Declaration of name of preservative or additive residues. Declaration of relevant appellation location, region, sub-appellation, appellation name if 75% of the grapes originate from that location. The name of the grape variety used should be stated if the wine uses at least 75% of the relevant grapes. The date of production should be stated if at least 85% of the wine was produced during the relevant production period. Allergy warning. Warning "Drinking alcohol is harmful to health. For safety reasons, please do not drink and drive." Name and address of importer. Name and address of production plant. Food Safety Standards Authority of India logo and license number. Bottling date. Net content. Alcohol content. Batch number/lot code.
For more details, see:
https://www.fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Comp_Alcoholic_Beverages(III)_28_08_2023.pdf
Mexico makes preliminary ruling on anti-dumping review of welded steel chains from China
On March 21, 2024, the Mexican Ministry of Economy published an announcement in the official daily newspaper, making a preliminary ruling on the anti-dumping interim review of welded steel chains (Spanish: cadena de acero de eslabones soldados) originating from China, deciding to continue the investigation and maintain the current anti-dumping duty of US$0.5/kg. The current Mexican customs tariff number of the product involved is 7315.82.91. The parties shall submit case comments and supplementary materials within 20 working days from the date of the announcement.
The original text of the Mo announcement can be found through the following link:
https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5720912&fecha=21/03/2024#gsc.tab=0
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