As our partner Maxx Intermodal Systems informs, currently there is a wagon shortage in Riga. The recent railway accident is not the only reason that causes destabilization of the platform situation in Riga. As we know, the volume shipped via Riga during the last decade was extremely high compounded by the fact that Kazakh and Uzbek railways are not returning Latvian platforms preferring to route them instead to other countries. As a result, the ability to move the backlog and dispatching of freight is slow.
Please be advised about possible delays as well storage charges that might be applied by the port if the material is not able to be provided a rail platform before free time expires in port.
As our partner informs, in order to avoid in future any problems with improper use of the platforms by other countries, Latvia is discussing an option to privatize all their platforms. However, this might lead to the increase of the railway tariff.
The situation started improving and we will keep you informed.
Please be advised about the new additional Qingdao station railway increase and storage application.
Our partners, Maxx Intermodal Systems report that starting from January 1st , 2012 an increase of USD 100 / Platform (2×20’ctrs or 1×40’ctr) will be applied for all transit and export cargo en route to Qingdao – Alashankou based on actual dispatch date. As a direct order of Chinese Railways, the tariff increase is applied it to all cargo that will be leaving Qingdao, as from January 1st (regardless of arrival date to Huangdao).
Please also take into consideration that Qingdao Port Authorities adopted an additional lift on/off charges and storage charges for all cargo which are arriving to port with Weidong Ferry, starting from January 1st, 2012. This can be explained by increasing cost of operations. Storage charges starting from day 5 will be USD 1.5 per TEU. Additional lift on/lift off charges are still under review but an increase is expected. We will keep you informed.
Please see the below announcement from our partners, Maxx Intermodal Systems in Tashkent.
Be advised about the new regulation for custom application and documentation requirement that are attached with the cargo.
1. As from 2012.1.1, all transportation cargo to/via Customs Union (Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Belarus), should fill in the custom application form.
2. All documents that are attached with the cargo should have the following info:
- Shipper name and address
- Consignee name and address
- Name of dispatch station and destination station
- Cargo name
- Hs Code – 8 Digit
- Accurate quantity and packing info of the cargo
- Gross weight of the cargo
- If use container transportation, indicate the container number
3. If one wagon and container including more than one HS code, indicate the breakdown of each HS code
4. For some destination need transit permission. If this document is unavailable, then it won’t be allowed for the cargo to cross the border. In order to avoid the demurrage, it is advisable to prepare the transit permission before the transportation.
Under U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Importer Security Filing (ISF) requirement goods shipped to, or through the United States will require an ISF filing 24 hours prior to vessel’s loading. Currently an informed compliance period is still in effect; however, ISF requirements become mandatory on January 26, 2010.
For cargo destined to the United States US Customs will require 10 data elements known as the ISF-10, and for cargo passing through the US in the form of Freight Remaining on Board (FROB) or cargo intended to move through the US under a Transportation & Exportation (T&E) or Immediate Exportation (IE) bond, 5 data elements will be required prior to vessel load, known as ISF-5.
For ISF-5 the ocean carrier is responsible for FROB and the party responsible for creating the TE or IE will need to file these 5 data elements prior to vessel load:
Booking Party
Foreign Port of Unlading
Place of Delivery
Ship to Party
Harmonized Schedule Commodity Code (6 digit level) per item
This information must be collected at the time of booking in order to submit to either the carrier directly for FROB cargo, or to CBP for any T&E and IE cargo where Expeditors may be preparing the in-bond documents. Currently an informed compliance period is still in effect, however this requirement will become mandatory starting January 26, 2010.
The ISF-5 requirements are based on CBP information available today. Please
contact your local Expeditors representative for more information.
