Hot Port News from GAC
11-Oct-2019
CANAL CLOSES FISCAL YEAR WITH RECORD TONNAGE
Panama Canal, Panama
JOINT PREPARATIONS & TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR A POSSIBLE NO-DEAL BREXIT
Rotterdam, Netherlands
NO DISRUPTION TO PORT OPERATIONS
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Canal closes fiscal year with record tonnage
Friday, October 11, 2019, Panama Canal, Panama
The Panama Canal has closed the 2019 fiscal year (FY19) with a record tonnage of 469 million Panama Canal tons (PC/UMS), a 6.2% increase compared to FY2018. With this figure, the waterway exceeds the 450.7 million PC/UMS tons projection for FY2019, as well as the record tonnage of 442 million PC/UMS tons registered in the previous fiscal year.
These record-setting results reflect the Canal workforce’s commitment to efficiency and ongoing investments in infrastructure, which will allow the waterway to meet the growing demand and offer a reliable and safe service to customers.
During FY19, transits for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) segments rose by 37.6 and 6.9 percent respectively, representing the largest gain across all segments. Additional segments with significant transit increases included crude product tankers with a 5.6% increase and vehicle carrier/RoRo with a 5.5% increase, compared to the previous fiscal year.
In terms of tonnage, the container segment continued to dominate with 164.87 million PC/UMS tons during FY 2019, of which 126.2 million PC/UMS tons transited through the Neopanamax Locks. Leading segments also include bulk carriers at 76.5 million PC/UMS tons, vehicle carrier Ro/Ro at 53.1 million PC/UMS tons, chemical tankers at 44.3 million PC/UMS tons, LNG vessels at 43 million PC/UMS tons, LPG vessels at 37.8 million PC/UMS tons, crude product tankers at 22.6 million PC/UMS tons and passenger vessels at 9.9 million PC/UMS tons.
The main routes using the Panama Canal by cargo tonnage in FY19 include between the U.S. East Coast and Asia, followed by the U.S. East Coast and the West Coast of South America, Europe and the West Coast of South America, the U.S. East Coast and the West Coast of Central America, and the U.S. intercoastal route.
The main users of the waterway during FY19 were the United States, China, Japan, Chile and Mexico.
(For information about operations in Panama, contact GAC Panama at agency.panama@gac.com)
Source: Extracts from Panama Canal Authority (www.pancanal.com) press release dated 9 October 2019
Joint preparations & traffic management for a possible no-deal Brexit
Friday, October 11, 2019, Rotterdam, Netherlands
All partners including Customs, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Port of Amsterdam Authority, PortBase and the involved municipalities are working hard on preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit on 31 October 2019. The aim of the coordinated action is to minimise any delays resulting from additional customs formalities at Rotterdam en Vlaardingen ferry terminals.
So-called traffic circulation plans have been designed for this and parking sites have been designated for any trucks that do not have the necessary paperwork to meet the new customs formalities that come into places as soon as the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
Exporters and importers must make arrangements as to who will register their cargo from or to the UK digitally in PortBase in advance. They can do this themselves or outsource this to intermediaries, such as a forwarder, customs agent or carrier. This is compulsory at all ferry terminals and at the majority of the short-sea terminals. This Dutch supply chain solution for Brexit will enable cargo to pass through customs quickly and without unnecessary delay to and from the UK, even after Brexit.
Buffer parking sites will be established again in the coming weeks for trucks that do not have the necessary paperwork. Truck drivers can use these locations to contact their client or transport planner to complete the necessary formalities. These temporary buffer parking sites are marked out on the map below. In the unlikely event that this extra capacity is insufficient, parties have additional overflow areas in reserve. Moreover, Rijkswaterstaat has discussed traffic control plans with all parties to safeguard efficient traffic flow.
(For information about operations in Rotterdam contact GAC Netherlands at agency.netherlands@gac.com)
Source: Joint press release from the Port of Rotterdam (www.portofrotterdam.com)
No disruption to port operations
Friday, October 11, 2019, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Operations at the port of Jeddah are running as normal and without any disruptions, unaffected by a reported explosion and fire onboard a tanker offshore.
For information about operations in Jeddah, contact GAC Saudi Arabia at jeddah@gac.com
