Ocean Import Update

Market updates for Sea freight

Martin Carter | Head of Operations at Unsworth

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Market Updates:

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There is a very high yard density at container terminals and inland transport bottlenecks are still aggravating port congestion problems.

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The time needed to discharge and load at the three biggest European container ports was a total of 36 days between arrival at Rotterdam and departure from Hamburg. These delays cannot be caught up even by sailing back to Asia at full speed.

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Rates have levelled as the predicted spike now that Shanghai has reopened was short-lived and base rates extended, GFS and BAF have increased again due to rising fuel costs.

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There is a softening of capacity issues in the market, but Peak Season is ahead of us now, so our suggestion is to plan early.

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It's currently taking 101 days to complete a full round voyage for container ships deployed on the Asia-North Europe trade

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Consider LCL to reduce stock holdings and take advantage of the pay for what you use or need rather than having to take additional stock to justify the FCL move to meet agreed container utilisation statistics.

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Asia Air Freight

Back to 90% capacity

Martin Carter | Head of Operations at Unsworth

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North China:

All major airlines' capacity has recovered by 90% in the last few weeks. Rate levels for airfreight have increased slightly due to the capacity increase.

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South China:

Rates for South China are low and decreasing due to demand being low. Carriers are dropping rates to help increase the market, especially in transatlantic trade.

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Korea:

Market demand for Europe is low, carriers are reducing rates to attract volume in the market.

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South-East Asia:

Like Europe and South Asia, demand is low. Carriers are dropping their rates and offering discounts for dense cargo to help attract demand in the market and push airfreight volume. Malaysia's market is still being affected by raw material shortages causing delays.

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Contact us for more information

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Customs Versus Toys

Blacklist for Calais and Dunkirk

Ian Ainslie |  EU Trade Specialist

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Calais and Dunkirk customs posts have temporarily blacklisted the import of all toys under the 9503 tariff heading, meaning an obligatory inspection for all trailers carrying such goods. This is causing delays and backlogs of toy shipments.

Our partners at BBL Groupe has advised that this blacklisting is likely to continue for another couple of weeks, and will cause more delays.

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Unsworth Solution:

We are helping Exporters with toy shipments by continuing through Calais/France, but shippers use a T1 form to circumnavigate the temporary issues at Calais and do the clearance with our broker partner (BBL) at their bonded warehouse in RONCQ. Thus allowing the shipments to pass through without inspection.

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Please get in contact with us here, so we can help you with this process.

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Customs Declaration System

New updates this September

Glen Saunderson | Head of Customs Solutions

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HMRC are upgrading their Custom Declaration platform replacing the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system with Customs Declaration System (CDS).

The last date for Import Declarations through CHIEF will be September 30th, 2022, with the last date for Export Declarations being 31st March 2023.

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What do you need:

A Government Gateway account

CDS Registration

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How do you pay for Duty & VAT:

CDS uses a separate HMRC Bank Account to CHIEF, meaning you will need to set up a new additional Deferment Account, specifically for CDS.

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Once set up, you will need to authorise Unsworth (and/or any other freight forwarding companies you work with) to be able to use your CDS Deferment Account. This will need to be done via your CDS Finance Dashboard (through Government Gateway).

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Read the full list of requirements here

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Upcoming Events

Jennifer FitzHugh | Marketing Manager

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Unsworth and clearBorder Webinar |

5 ways to ensure you are Customers Compliant.

Wednesday 6th July at 2:00 pm

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During this webinar, clearBorder and Unsworth will share 5 steps to keeping your business customs compliant. At this dedicated webinar you will learn:

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5 steps to keep your business customs compliant, cut risks and improve margins.

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Ensure your team is fully prepared and records are in order.

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Look at tools and techniques to help with the process, what to ask your agent, and common mistakes to avoid.

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Register here

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Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum |

Logistics & Distribution

Wednesday 6th July at 10:05-11:00 am

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Join Unsworth's Commercial Director Charles Hogg's panel at the Westminster VR event to discuss how to tackle the key issues for post-Brexit relationships.

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Topics covered will include imports, freight transport, skills and the workforce, and the impact on consumers within the food and drink sectors.

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Register here

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Unsworth Celebrations

25 years and Summer BBQ

Jennifer FitzHugh | Marketing Manager

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25 YEARS! 🎉🎈

A massive congratulations to our very own Michelle Pisano, who just celebrated her 25th year at Unsworth!

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We look forward to celebrating many more. Proof that sometimes work can be family.

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Also, this year we finally got to have our summer bbq, which is a great event when the whole team can get together and celebrate our achievements over the last 6 months.

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For the party this year, our amazing HR team put together a fantastic carnival-themed BBQ (with a dedicated waffle stand) at the Unsworth office in London.

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If you are interested in joining the Unsworth team, take a look at our hiring page here.

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Message from the MD

Market Update

Richard Hogg | Managing Director

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Dear Valued Customers,

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The war in Ukraine, rising inflation, utilities and fuel prices have dominated the news headlines in recent weeks. These factors together with China’s ongoing lockdowns has meant that the market continues to be unpredictable.

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Whilst we have seen some softening of demand, peak season is just around the corner and we advise all customers to be planning ahead.

Here at Unsworth, our Team remains focused on securing equipment and reliable capacity solutions and providing added value solutions.

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Importantly, in September 2022, HMRC are upgrading their Custom Declaration platform replacing the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system with Customs Declaration System (CDS). It is critical if you haven’t already done so to prepare for this change and we can assist you through the transition.

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As always, please do reach out to myself or any of our Team members if you require any assistance.

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Best Wishes,

Richard Hogg

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