October Connected
23rd October, 2023
MUA Industrial action at DP World terminals
DP World maritime workers have commenced their strikes at all Australian terminals. DP World received formal notice from the CFMMEU that its members will be conducting several 8-hour strikes, commencing from October 8th and are now continuing until further notice. We understand that DP management has shown no intent now to come to the discussion table. As such, it is likely the strikes will continue longer than originally advised.
Transport providers are already facing delays as a result of these strikes, below comment is from on of our transport providers and clearly indicates the impact these strikes are already having:
‘We have been experiencing excessive delays (up to 4hrs) as a direct result of the industrial action at DPW over the past week. As a flow on effect, we have seen changes in vessel schedules, limited timeslots, disruption to delivery services and the return of empty containers. In addition to the congestion being experienced as a result of infrastructure works, the business is left with no option than to work an extra shift over the weekend to ensure our clients containers are not subject to any storage issues or miss vessel export cut off.
As you will be aware, we face heavy overtime costs in working weekends and to cover the cost of this we will apply a $50 surcharge per container that requires delivery or collection at the wharf on Sunday.’
The team at SCC are working closely with all of our transport and will keep you advised of any delays resulting from the strikes at DPW.
Qantas Cargo Delays
Please be aware that because of IT Implementation issues, all cargo in and out of Australia is experiencing delays at Qantas facilities. Qantas implemented a fully integrated cloud-based management system on September 24th. The system has been developed to streamline cargo handling processes. Unfortunately, implementation has been chaotic, all cargo movements are experiencing delays with manual handling processes having to be implemented whilst the IT issues with the new program are rectified. For example, cargo collection in Sydney is taking up to 10 days, the team at SCC is working closely with our handling partners to move cargo along for delivery at the earliest possible time.
Blank Sailings
We have previously written about the increase in blank sailings for the shipping lines, this practice continues and the amount of blank sailings had escalated post China’s Golden Week Holidays, as we are now into peak season we are hopeful that the amount of blank sailings will decrease as more volume is coming on. To ensure the most efficient booking and movement of your important cargo please try to alert our team of your orders 2-3 weeks prior to the goods being ready. This allows us to immediately make bookings. Any importers advising their freight forwarder only on the day that the goods are ready will be seeing some delays with the movement of the shipment. The available sailings at this time would likely already be booked from those that are engaging with us in advance of the goods being ready. This is a good practice to be in regardless of peak season or not.
New China Vessel Service
Good news for our Brisbane customers, a new ship service is about commence from Nansha Port. Brisbane is going to be the first port in Australia with a transit time, port to port of 12 days. If you have supplies from Nansha please ensure to ask about this routing for your cargo.
SCC Staff Training
We are very proud of our staff at SCC and particularly for their ongoing training and seeking better ways to manage our clients.
Congratulations to Taffy for completing the introduction to Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokers course, we look forward to you progressing Taffy.
Congratulations to Mark and Alice for completing their First Aid/CPR training course. Taking on this additional responsibility is very much appreciated by all at SCC.
SCC October charity support – The Dayamani FoundatioIn
In October, our business observes a charitable month, where we pledge to donate $5.00 for every file we register to a worthy cause. We take great pride in our long-standing commitment to supporting various charitable organizations over the years. Last year, our chosen cause was the Dayamani Foundation, a school based in Tenali, India.
The Dayamani Foundation was founded in 2014 by students from Notre Dame University in Australia. Notably, one of our directors children, Lauren McKillop, is a student of primary school teaching at Notre Dame University. In early 2023, Lauren had the incredible opportunity to spend three weeks at the Dayamani Foundation in Tenali. Her experiences and learnings during this visit left a profound impact on her, and this, in turn, has inspired the entire SCC team to continue supporting this fantastic charity initiated by students from Notre Dame University.
We are thrilled to announce that, during the month of October, all the funds raised by SCC will be directed towards the Dayamani Foundation. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing further details about the wonderful support being extended to these children in Tenali, India.
By choosing to contribute to The Dayamani Foundation, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of these children, providing them with access to quality education and essential resources. We look forward to keeping you updated on our efforts and the impact we’re making together.
If you would like to contribute directly to The Dayamani Foundation, please click the link below: http://www.dayamanifoundation.org/
