Emergency at the Port of Antwerp! All French docks on strike! The EU plans to impose temporary anti-subsidy duties on imported Chinese electric vehicles | Foreign Trade News Express
Antwerp Port Breaking News! All French ports are on strike!
At present, the Red Sea crisis has affected the detours of ships, and port congestion around the world has led to a large amount of shipping capacity being trapped. In the face of serious capacity shortages, port emergencies and dock workers' strikes are undoubtedly worse for shipping...
Emergency at the Port of Antwerp
On the evening of June 6th local time, a fuel leak occurred at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, Europe's second largest container port, forcing Deurganck Dock, Europe's largest single container terminal, to implement a limited navigation ban.
Although the terminal remains operational, ship traffic has been diverted and operations at Kieldrecht Lock, the world's largest ship lock, have been suspended to prevent the spread of the oil.
The leak affected the port's Deurganck Dock, container operations area and Kieldrecht Lock, as well as about 20 ships, including inland and ocean-going vessels.
Following the report of the spill, the port immediately suspended operations in the area and initiated investigation and recovery efforts; using drones to take photos of the extent of the spill while also cleaning the oil from vessels and waterways.
The survey shows that someShip 'covered in oil', port officials said the ship would not be allowed to leave unless it was thoroughly cleaned.
The Port of Antwerp is the second busiest port in Europe, and its Deurganck Terminal is one of the largest container terminals in Europe. This incident has undoubtedly had a certain impact on its operations.
According to ShipView data, as of 10:45 local time on June 8, there were 25 container ships berthing at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, 18 at anchor, and 9 expected to arrive, including:Several container ships operated by Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM.
The cleanup work caused by the accident is expected to take several days and some ships will face delays.
All French ports on strike
All major French ports, particularly the container hubs of Le Havre and Marseille-Fos, face the threat of a month-long strike that is expected to cause severe operational disruptions.
The strike was planned by the union representing dockworkers and other port workers.Several one-day strikes and four-hour stoppages were held in June, to protest the government's pension reform that would raise the statutory retirement age.
The first 24-hour strike broke out on June 7. At the Port of Le Havre, ro-ro, bulk and container terminals were blocked by dockworkers, resulting in the cancellation of four ship calls and the delay of 18 more.
Meanwhile, in Marseille-Fos, around 600 dockworkers and other port workers blocked the main entrance for trucks to the container terminal.
Striking port workers call for June 7 to be designated as"Dead Port Day"。
In addition, the French ports of Dunkirk, Rouen, Bordeaux and Nantes-Saint-Nazaire were also affected. In Rouen, three ships and two barges were delayed.
The union plans to continue strike action in the coming weeks. The French National Port and Terminals Federation CGT previously urged port workers to participate in the June strike plan including:
June 4, 6, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 24, 26 and 28: 4-hour stoppage from 10am to 2pm (depending on the port)
June 13, 21 and 25: 24-hour strike
June 7: So-called "Death Port Day" (blocking of port gates and access to the port area)
If the union fails to get a satisfactory response from the government, the strike action may be extended into July.
This series of strikesThis has had a serious impact on road transport operators and logistics providers.They said it was taking up to a week to secure bookings at Marseille and Le Havre terminals, while also incurring extra costs as cargo could not be transported and logistic flows were diverted to other European ports.
The strike at French ports not only affects the normal operation of the ports, but also has an impact on the global shipping and logistics chain that cannot be ignored. The government and trade unions need to have a dialogue as soon as possible to find a way to solve the problem and reduce the negative impact of the strike.
Hamburg Port Strike
According to foreign media reports, workers at the Hamburg container terminal launched a warning strike on June 7 local time, resulting in the suspension of terminal operations.
Verdi, the union representing workers at the Port of Hamburg, said a second round of talks with the German seaport operator on raising wages failed to produce results on Thursday. "The offer presented by the employer is totally inadequate," said a Verdi negotiator.
In order to put pressure on for better compensation, the union called on dock workers to call for a strike at the Port of Hamburg, stopping work from 5:30 a.m. on the 7th until late at night.
According to the union,Around 6,000 employees at the Port of Hamburg are affected by collective bargaining.Among other things, the union is demanding a 3 euro hourly wage increase from June 1 and a corresponding increase in shift allowances.
Kuehne + Nagel said the strike affected container handling operations at all terminals. Rail and truck transportation operations will also be suspended for the day. As the cargo space at the terminal is already under pressure, attempts to postpone the schedule may affect the entire week's processing. In addition, the loading and unloading of ships will be delayed. The situation needs to be closely monitored.
Terminals of companies such as Hamburger Port and Logistics (HHLA) and Eurogate were also affected. HHLA said its branches in Hamburg would join the strike, including the Burchardkai (CTB), Altenwerder (CTA) and Tollerort (CTT) container terminals.
The spokesman said the terminals would be almost completely closed. Five large container ships, including the HMM Helsinki, were stranded at the terminals on the afternoon of the 7th. The terminals planned to resume production late at night and take measures such as extending working hours on weekends to reduce the impact of the strike.
It is reported that the third round of negotiations will be held in Hamburg on June 17 and 18. Verdi is demanding a retroactive wage increase and adjustments to shift bonuses to help low-wage groups cope with inflation.
Agreement reached! Canada CBSA strike alert lifted
On Tuesday (11th) local time, the Canadian Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), a union representing more than 9,000 workers at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), announced that they would work together to resolve the dispute.A tentative agreement was reached to avert a potential strike at the Canadian border.
“Our negotiating team has been working around the clock to secure the best possible contract for our members, and this tentative agreement is a testament to their incredible hard work and dedication,” said PSAC National President Sharon DeSousa.
"This is a well-deserved victory for the members of the Canada Border Security Agency who secure our country's borders and keep all Canadians safe."
Once ratified, the new collective agreement will apply to approximately 11,000 employees, the Treasury Secretariat said in a news release. In addition to customs and immigration officers, CBSA personnel also include intelligence officers, investigators and other staff.
The Canada Border Services Agency is responsible for monitoring customs and immigration in CanadaMore than 100 land border crossings as well as airports and seaports.
The statement said the renewed collective agreement for the border services group will include increased employee wages and other benefits, but did not disclose details of the agreement.
If the tentative deal is approved by members, the government will have reached agreements with 18 bargaining units covering more than 84% of public services.
It is understood that the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers, has said that if the CBSA and the Ministry of Finance do not reach an agreement, the strike will begin at 00:01 on Friday (14th).
Officials at freight forwarding giant CH Robinson said the biggest disruption would be to cross-border truck traffic between Canada and the United States if border agents went on strike.
PSAC said in a statement that it will announce the full details of the tentative agreement once the approval materials are received on June 13. A ratification vote will be scheduled in the coming days after the details of the agreement are announced. It is reported that in 2021, strike action by Canadian Border Services Agency staff almost brought commercial cross-border traffic to a standstill, causing severe delays at airports and borders across the country, and a 36-hour marathon negotiation to reach an agreement.
Palestine and Israel accept ceasefire agreement!
On June 10th local time, the UN Security Council voted to pass a Gaza Strip-related resolution submitted by the United States, calling on the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel to accept a ceasefire agreement.
The resolution received 14 votes in favor and none against from the 15 Security Council members, with Russia abstaining.
The resolution "welcomes the ceasefire proposal announced by the United States on May 31, which has been accepted by Israel, urges Hamas to also accept the proposal, and urges both parties to implement its terms in full and without delay and without conditions."
According to the draft resolution, the ceasefire proposal will be implemented in three stages.
The first stage is to implement an "immediate, comprehensive and complete ceasefire", during which the Israeli army will withdraw from all densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip; Hamas will release some of the detained persons, including women, the elderly and the wounded, and return the bodies of some of the victims; and Israel will release the detained Palestinians.
In the second phase, Hamas will release the remaining detainees, and in exchange, the Israeli army will withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip.
The third phase will launch a large-scale reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, etc.
On the 11th local time, Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior official of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), stated that Hamas accepted the UN Security Council's ceasefire resolution on Gaza because the resolution included Israel's permanent ceasefire in Gaza, complete withdrawal and personnel exchange.
He said Hamas was ready to negotiate on the details, adding that the United States had a responsibility to ensure Israel complied with the resolution.
Nine departments: Support cross-border e-commerce enterprises to "exhibit overseas"
According to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Commerce and nine other departments issued opinions on expanding cross-border e-commerce exports and promoting the construction of overseas warehouses (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions").
The opinions mentioned that cross-border e-commerce enterprises should be supported to "exhibit overseas". Cross-border e-commerce platforms, export, payment, logistics, overseas warehouses and other enterprises should be supported to participate in key exhibitions such as the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) and the Global Digital Trade Expo. Support should be provided to improve the level of existing local cross-border e-commerce exhibitions in accordance with market principles, and hold overseas special promotion and docking activities for key products and key markets. Localities with conditions are encouraged to organize enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions to provide more display and docking platforms for cross-border e-commerce enterprises.
Details of comments:
http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zwgk/gkzcfb/202406/20240603515722.shtml
"2024 China Small and Medium-sized Foreign Trade Enterprises Export Risk Index" released
On June 12, the "2024 China Small and Medium-sized Foreign Trade Enterprises Export Risk Index (SMERI) Report" jointly developed by the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation and the Ministry of Commerce's International Trade and Economic Cooperation Research Institute was officially released.
Judging from the historical data of the past three years, the overall credit risk faced by my country's small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises in exports has shown a fluctuating upward trend.Mainly affected by the international trade environment and the increase in corporate payment risks。
Global macroeconomic risks have declined compared to 2023, reflecting the overall slow recovery of the world economy. Among them, the inflation rates of major economies in developed markets in Europe and the United States are high, and trade activities are generally sluggish; the risk index scores of most countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia are relatively stable; emerging markets such as ASEAN have increased their share in my country's exports; Eastern Europe, West Asia, North Africa and other regions are affected by geopolitical conflicts such as the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the tense situation in the Red Sea, and the risk index of relevant countries is at a high level.
At the same time, the trend of differentiation and transfer of global supply chains is becoming increasingly obvious, posing a continuous threat to the stability of world trade.Among them, my country's textile and clothing, electronic information, home appliances and consumer electronics, and bio-pharmaceutical industry chain exports show relatively high risks in Africa and Latin America; the export of new energy, complete vehicle and construction machinery industry chains is affected by factors such as trade barriers, and the risks are at medium and high levels; the export of modern agricultural industry chains is affected by climate and price fluctuations, and the risk level is high in Africa, North America, South Asia and other regions.
From the perspective of corporate payments, the payment performance of buyer companies in most parts of the world has improved over the past year, butThe payment risks of some buyer companies in North Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and South America have increased significantly。
EU plans to impose temporary anti-subsidy duties on imported Chinese electric vehicles
On June 12, the European Commission released the preliminary results of its anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles.It is planned to impose temporary countervailing duties ranging from 17.4% to 38.1% on electric vehicles imported from China from July 4. Specifically, tariffs of 17.4%, 20% and 38.1% will be imposed on BYD, Geely Automobile and SAIC Group respectively; a 21% tariff will be imposed on other manufacturers; Tesla cars imported from China may be subject to a separate tax rate.
Zipse, chairman of the German BMW Group, said that the European Commission's plan to impose a temporary anti-subsidy tax on electric vehicles imported from China is a wrong decision because the tax increase will hinder the development of European automakers and harm Europe's own interests.
The European Commission has taken the taxation measures even though the EU electric vehicle industry has not suffered any damage, has not proactively applied for an investigation, and has repeatedly expressed opposition. At the same time, the EU has provided a large amount of subsidies to its electric vehicle and battery industries, which is a typical double standard.
EU to impose strict limits on amount of plastic packaging waste
Recently, the European Parliament passed a new agreement to improve the sustainability of EU packaging and reduce packaging waste. The agreement requires EU countries to strictly limit the amount of plastic packaging waste, aiming to improve safety and promote the circular economy by reducing, reusing and recycling packaging.
The agreement sets ambitious packaging reduction targets: 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040.
1. Banning certain single-use plastic packaging
Under the agreement, certain single-use plastic packaging will be banned from January 1, 2030, such as packaging of unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables, food and drink packaging used by cafes and restaurants, packaging of individual portions (such as condiments, sauces, creamer, sugar), micro-packaging of toiletries for accommodation, and shrink film for luggage at airports.
2. Set a minimum recycled content target for plastic packaging
The agreement also sets minimum recycled content targets for plastic packaging and minimum recycling targets by weight for packaging waste, while banning the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) above a certain threshold in food contact packaging.
3. Set specific goals for reusable packaging
Delegates agreed to set specific targets (at least 10%) for reusable packaging for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (excluding milk, wine, aromatic wines and spirits) by 2030. Member States may grant a five-year extension under certain conditions.
In addition, the agreement requires final distributors of beverages and takeaway foods to offer consumers the option of using their own containers, and plans to offer 10% of all products in reusable packaging by 2030.
The agreement has not yet been formally implemented and must be formally approved by the European Council before implementation.
South Korea makes preliminary anti-dumping ruling on Chinese PET resin
On May 30, the Korea Trade Commission issued Announcement No. 2024-12 (Case No. 23-2024-1), making an affirmative preliminary anti-dumping ruling on PET resin or polyethylene terephthalate resin originating in China, and recommended that the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of South Korea impose provisional anti-dumping duties on the companies involved. Among them, the tax rates for Chinese manufacturers Hainan Yisheng Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Yisheng Dahua Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and their affiliated companies and exporters are 6.62%, the tax rates for China Resources Chemical Materials Technology Co., Ltd., Zhuhai China Resources Chemical Materials Technology Co., Ltd. and their affiliated companies and exporters are 7.83%, and the tax rates for other suppliers are 7.12%.
The products involved include terephthalic acid (TPA) and monools, made from polymerized ethylene glycol (MEG) with a viscosity value greater than or equal to 78 ml/g; renewable PET resin is also within the scope of investigation in this case. The Korean tax number of the products involved is 3907.61.0000.
Indonesia removes import permit (PI) requirement for cosmetics
Recently, under the instruction of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Trade Minister's Decree No. 8 of 2024 (Permendag 8/2024) was urgently issued and took effect immediately. The emergency issuance of Trade Minister's Decree No. 8 of 2024 is regarded as a remedy for the large number of containers stranded in Indonesian ports caused by the issuance of Trade Minister's Decree No. 36 of 2023 (Permendag 36/2023).
The following are the customs clearance requirements for imported cosmetics products after the implementation of the new policy:
- March 10, 2024
Basis: Import policies and regulations in Ministerial Order No. 20 of 2021 and Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2022
Customs clearance document requirements:
Import Loading Supervision Report (LS)
Import declaration (SKI)
- March 10 - May 17, 2024 (detained goods)
Based on: Permendag 8/2024
Goods listed in Appendix I and Appendix II (including cosmetics, 136 HS electronic products, traditional medicines, 37 HS footwear, etc.) only require an import supervision report (LS) for customs clearance
Customs clearance document requirements:
Import Permit (PI) (not required)
Import Supervision Report (LS)
Import Declaration (SKI)
- After May 17, 2024
Basis: Import policies and regulations of Permendag 8/2024
Customs clearance document requirements:
Import Supervision Report (LS)
Import Declaration (SKI)
After the introduction of Permendag 8/2024, cosmetics arriving at Indonesian ports after March 10, 2024 will be exempted from submitting an import license (PI) and only need to submit an import loading supervision report (LS) and an import customs declaration (SKI) to go through customs clearance procedures.
This is good news for cosmetics companies exporting to Indonesia. Please note that two documents need to be completed before the goods arrive at the Indonesian port.
Mexico to screen packages worth less than 2,500 pesos
Mexico's Ministry of Economy (SE) is preparing a protocol that would force customs to screen parcels with a value of less than 2,500 pesos to verify that they comply with official Mexican commercial information standards. Until now, these parcels have been exempted from such verification. The project has sparked an outcry from the parcel industry, with the Latin American Internet Association (ALAI), which represents companies such as Amazon and Mercado Libre, warning that the measure could lead to an increase in import costs, eliminating the economic viability of these transactions, negatively affecting the growth of e-commerce, and leading to higher costs and fewer choices for consumers.
Mexico's Economy Ministry said the measure was necessary due to a significant increase in imports delivered by courier and parcel. Mexico's Confederation of Industrial Chambers and the National Chamber of the Textile Industry supported the measure.
Source: Italian Shipping, Focus Vision, Shipping Today, etc.
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