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North America Operations Update

Week of 13 July, 2015

 

Dear valued OOCL Customer,

 

Port of Oakland

 

The Port of Oakland has been experiencing delays in berthing vessels, and a number of container vessels are at anchorage each day. Increases in vessel calls, terminal congestion, and labor shortages have all contributed to this situation. Affected at anchorage OOCL import customers are being advised on a shipment specific basis. OOCL export customers with changes in cargo cutoffs are being issued revised booking confirmations.

 

The Port of Oakland has been issuing daily status updates. If any of our customers wish to be included as a recipient of these updates please submit an email to the Port of Oakland Marketing Department care of Yen Kelly with email address:  ytran@portoakland.com

 

In addition, OICT is experiencing some conflicts between close out schedule vs. first receiving dates as a result of the recent labor shortage in Oakland; vessels are routinely having to wait for three or four shifts after arrival to catch labor after berthing. In some cases, the wait is even longer. Since they are not moving export cargo out of the terminal at the usual rate, they are not making sufficient room for new exports to be received, resulting in delayed “ERD” cargo receiving windows

 

Yusen Terminals, Inc. (YTI) in Oakland is launching a new web based application this week named YTI LYNX.  There are many new benefits to this system which can be found in the attached announcement from YTI.

 

 

North America Rail Operations

 

Please note that the BNSF Railroad will be shortening their hours of free time and increasing their daily storage charge on August 17, 2015.  They will also be counting all the days of the week as part of the chargeable time calculations.  This means that Sundays will no longer be considered as a free day during the free time calculations.  For more details see Item 37 and Appendix F of the BNSF Intermodal Rules and Policies Guide (R&PG).

 

The BNSF operation experienced solid performance gains this week even as flooding continues to present service challenges in several areas. Overall, velocity for trains, locomotives and cars all generated significant improvements over the prior week and good fluidity was maintained throughout the network.

 

The ongoing flooding issues in the Central Plains and Mississippi River Valley have caused some BNSF service disruptions during the past several weeks. The River Subdivision in Missouri has been out of service since June 18 due to high water in several locations. It remains closed, but water levels have begun receding. With just scattered rain chances in the forecast, service along this subdivision could be restored as early as the middle of this week.

 

Further south, the Emporia Subdivision in Kansas, part of the BNSF’s Southern Transcontinental route, was partially out of service as BNSF maintenance crews repaired an embankment that failed near the BNSF’s Argentine Terminal.  As an extended period of dry weather for the southern Plains takes hold, a return to normal train flows through this corridor is expected.

 

While BNSF maintenance and engineering crews address the recent flooding issues, the BNSF’s capital gangs continue to make great progress on this year’s expansion projects. Last week, construction was completed on nine miles of new double-track along the BNSF’s Clovis Subdivision, between Vaughn and Carnero, New Mexico. This segment, one of the few remaining single-track segments on the Southern Transcontinental route, will go into service early next week. It will have the capacity to support an additional 10 trains a day and, most importantly, improve on-time performance during the peak traffic periods experienced from late-week volumes. After this year’s other scheduled expansion work is completed, only seven miles of single-track will remain on the Southern Transcontinental going into 2016.

 

Truck Power

 

Truck Power across the USA to perform import store door deliveries and export door pickups continues to be a major concern especially in the Midwest, Gulf, Northeast, California and the SEA/TAC-Portland corridor.

  • There is a shortage of trucking companies willing to dray hazardous containers.
  • There are no truck power issues in Canada and Mexico.
  • Please see our Truck Power Map on OOCL.com for more information regarding advance timing required for door movements.

 

 

Vessel/Loop Deployment Changes

 

Terminal First Receiving Date

The Earliest Receiving Date (ERD) of Montreal Gateway Terminals will be reduced from current seven to five calendar days with effective July 15, 2015.

 

Information for export cargo container receiving as reported by North America terminals continues to be updated daily on OOCL.com USA and Canada web sites and has been updated to now include Pier A in Long Beach.

 

Summer Schedule Changes:  Below is an outline of summer schedule changes.  For full details of the Transpacific Summer schedule changes please click here and for the Transatlantic changes here:

New Announcements

PA2

The G6 Alliance will omit calls to the Port of Oakland on the next four sailings of its Pacific Atlantic 2 (PA2) service between Asia, Central America, and the United States East and West Coasts, citing potential.  The affected sailings are:

  • MOL Endeavor (v.069e), ETA Oakland on 8 July 2015 (Complete)
  • MOL Efficiency (v. 072e), ETA Oakland on 15 July 2015
  • APL Turquoise (v.127e), ETA Oakland on 22 July 2015
  • MOL Express (v.082e), ETA Oakland on 29 July 2015

 

AZX

The Asia Suez Express (AZX) service will be upgraded to include an additional Halifax call. This move will improve transit times from Canada to Asian and Mediterraneanports as well as from Asian and Mediterraneanports to New York.

 

New port rotation: Laem Chabang – Singapore – Colombo – Damietta – Cagliari – Halifax – New York – Savannah – Norfolk – Halifax (new) – Cagliari – Damietta – Jebel Ali – Singapore – Laem Chabang

 

Effective voyage: Budapest Express BUX 029E ETA Laem Chabang 06 July 2015 & ETA Halifax 04 Aug 2015

Attached is our current vessel schedule for reference purposes.  For the most up to date scheduling information please do refer to our interactive point to point or vessel schedule on www.oocl.com.

 

Pacific Southwest

 

  • In general, congestion seems to have increased at most marine terminals last week.  Turn times have increased.
  • Truck power more challenged than in previous weeks as the cleanup from the July 4th holiday continued.

 

Oakland

 

  • OICT was extremely congested this past week.  Gate turn times averaged 61 minutes.  Chronic yard congestion compounded by severe chassis shortages.   Dual transactions were shut off early between 2:30-3:00pm every day.
  • Oakland Trapac operations were congested and turn times averaged 56 minutes.
  • OICT and Oakland Trapac were closed on July 6.
  • Oakland is extremely short of chassis and  is extremely short of truck power; new dispatches are not being accepted less than 14 working days out.  Truck power situation is primarily caused by slow import deliveries, early afternoon restrictions on dual transactions at OICT, and driver waiting time for a bare chassis to become available.

 

Tacoma & Seattle

  • WUT was moderately congested last week.  The terminal continues to post an announcement on their website which vessel(s) they will receive export cargo on the following day.  Gate turn times averaged 31 minutes. Intermodal rail gateway operations were fluid.
  • Seattle T-18 was normal.  Gate turn times averaged 26 minutes.
  • WUT and T-18 were closed on July 6.
  • Regional congestion was moderate and continued for Portland container traffic to/from Seattle or Tacoma.

 

 

Vancouver

 

  • Deltaport and Centerm Terminals are fairly fluid.

 

 

CN Montreal

 

  • CAST Terminal is continuing to build up some ITM back log caused by vessel bunching.
  • Due to crane construction at Termont Terminal, OOCL services will not resume calling this port until the fall.

CN Halifax

 

  • Terminal dwell times are very fluid.

 

New York Terminals

 

  • Effective on 7/13/15 GCT Bayonne’s gate hours will be adjusted as follows:
  • Inbound gate closing – 4 PM
  • Double Move Cutoff – 3:30 PM
  • Reefer Move Cutoff – 3 PM
  • Gate hours will be adjusted going forward as volume dictates.
  • Dry loads and empties – 4:30 PM
  • Live reefers – 4:00 PM
  • GCT Bayonne – 82 minutes
  • GCT New York – 24 minutes
  • Maher – 46 minutes.
  • APM Terminals Port Elizabeth has extended inbound gate cut-offs to:
  • Gate turn times:
  • Door delivery truck power lead time remains 0-2 days in the NYC metro area.

 

 

Norfolk International Terminal

 

  • Gate turn time at NIT was 51 minutes.
  • Truck power lead time was 0-2 days in Norfolk.

 

 

USA Midwest & South Central

  • Truck power is now adequate throughout the Midwest. See the truck power map linked above.
  • Chassis shortages remain in Chicago, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Dallas and El Paso.
  • HOU’s Barbour’s Cut Terminal reported moderate congestion with gate turn times averaging 41 minutes.

 

 

South Atlantic                         

  • Memphis area is experiencing sporadic chassis shortages last week.
  • BNSF has terminated its Birmingham service. New routing is set for UP/NS via McCalla, AL to serve  cargo discharging  via LAX/LGB.

 Mexico

  • Services at marine terminals in both Veracruz and Altamira were normal last week.
  • Depot, trucking, and rail services were all normal.

 

Yours Sincerely,

OOCL North America

 

 

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