Peter Friedmann

Exclusive: AgTC submits proposals to address ocean shipping crisis

Just days before a critical hearing before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation about the crisis facing American importers, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) has submitted three legislative proposals to enforce the carriage of trade and excessive penalties U.S. importers are being charged by foreign carriers, American Shipper has learned.

The proposals were sent to the Federal Maritime Commission, as well as representatives on the Senate and House committees...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/exclusive-agtc-submits-proposals-to-address-ocean-shipping-crisis

Ag industry’s letter to Buttigieg urges immediate action on export problem

The U.S. agriculture industry is pressuring the Department of Transportation for immediate intervention in foreign-owned carriers’ denial of U.S. ag exports in favor of sending back empty containers to be filled with Chinese exports. 

In a letter sent to Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday that was shared with American Shipper, almost 300 agriculture and forest product companies demanded the secretary intervene to protect U.S. exporters. 

“We are hopeful the secretary will act upon this urgent...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ag-industrys-letter-to-buttigieg-urges-immediate-action-on-export-problem

Maersk collaborating to ‘alleviate supply chain pain points’

A.P. Møller – Maersk said it is taking container congestion and intermodal equipment scarcity seriously and addressing “the concerns of the U.S. export community and the trucking industry feeling the impact during this already difficult time.”

Maersk North America said in a press release Monday that as a result of “surging U.S. imports and the resulting intermodal equipment flow imbalances, all members of the logistics sector have been challenged to find solutions. Maersk senior officials have...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/maersk-collaborating-to-alleviate-supply-chain-pain-points

Commentary: AgTC applauds FMC’s push of Shipping Act mandates

The Agriculture Transportation Coalition and a broad array of exporters, importers, truckers, forwarders — essentially the entire American shipping public — is encouraged and grateful to the Federal Maritime Commission leaders for their initiatives this past week. 

For several years, we have petitioned the FMC to intervene to help U.S. ag exporters (and all shippers) survive debilitating and unfair detention and demurrage, punitive “free time” policies (imposed on smaller shippers and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/commentary-agtc-applauds-fmcs-push-of-shipping-act-mandates

Container return date upheaval by the numbers

ocean container schedules

U.S. agriculture and forest product exporters are counting the ways and dollars it costs them when ocean carriers without warning change the dates for container arrivals at marine terminals.

The Washington-based Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) and supply chain technology firm TradeLanes recently reached out to hundreds of American shippers to survey the operational and financial impacts of earliest return date (ERD) fluctuations on their businesses.

The AgTC and TradeLanes have...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/container-return-date-upheaval-by-the-numbers

Industry groups ready responses to FMC’s ocean carrier pricing review

U.S. Federal Maritime Commission

Freight transportation industry and shipper groups say they are preparing detailed responses to the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) review of ocean carrier pricing practices.

The FMC, which announced the notice of inquiry on Wednesday, said it is seeking information from the container-shipping public on alleged attempts by ocean carriers to hold companies financially responsible for transportation services that they did not contract for and may not legally be required to pay.

The FMC said...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/industry-groups-ready-responses-to-fmcs-ocean-carrier-pricing-review

American exporters want end to erratic container return dates

American shippers

North Dakota specialty soybean exporter Robert Sinner has lost his patience with ocean carriers that without sufficient notice change the earliest delivery return dates for containers arriving at the nation’s seaports and he wants something done about it.

Sinner, whose company SB&B Foods has shipped container loads of soybeans to high-end food processors in Asia for the past two decades, said the problem has gone from bad to worse during the past five years.

“It drives us crazy,” he told American...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/american-exporters-want-end-to-erratic-container-return-dates

CBP makes it easier for shippers to obtain manifest data confidentiality

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says its new automated tool allows importers and exporters to apply and receive approval for their vessel manifest confidentiality requests from the agency within 24 hours.

Before CBP deployed the new online application, shippers had to submit their confidentiality requests to keep their names and addresses off the public manifest record to the agency by mail, fax or email, which often required the agency 60 to 90 days to process.

In addition, CBP said the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/cbp-makes-it-easier-for-shippers-to-obtain-manifest-data-confidentiality

American shippers, draymen want ocean carriers out of chassis pools

Most ocean container carriers have divested their ownership of wheeled chassis to third-party service providers, but American shippers and their draymen say they continue to wield considerable commercial influence over the cost to use this equipment.

“The chassis situation is one of the most complex and contentious components in our international supply chain, which is why we assembled all the players, making this a spirited topic at our virtual 32nd Annual Meeting,” Peter Friedmann, executive...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/american-shippers-draymen-want-ocean-carriers-out-of-chassis-pools

Port Houston ‘famous’ for COVID-19 response

Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) Executive Director Peter Friedmann said Roger Guenther “became famous” in mid-March when two Port Houston terminals were temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

“Port Houston was the first major port in the United States to get hit by COVID and you all were sort of the guinea pig on how does a port respond. You responded in a way that became kind of the model for the rest of the country,” said Friedmann in introducing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-houston-famous-for-covid-19-response

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