The value of global trade next quarter is projected to fall 27% compared with the second quarter of 2019, according to a new report coordinated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The UN was joined by the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade Organization and the World Bank, among others, to produce the report. Some of that projected drop is due to lower volume of goods, and some of it is due to the price of oil plummeting. The report also found that almost half of international mail is stranded, and that customs clearance times for small packages is taking 32 times as long -- jumping from an average of two hours to 64 hours. The report attributed the slowing of clearance to “availability of labor.”
Container volumes through the Port of Los Angeles fell 30.9% year-on-year in March, marking the lowest amount of cargo moving through the port in a month since February 2009, said the Port of Los Angeles in a recent news release. The deep decline comes as a result not only of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, said Gene Seroka, executive director of the port. “With U.S. retailers and cargo owners scaling back orders, volumes are soft even though factories in China are beginning to produce more. Amidst this public health crisis, there will be uncertain months ahead in the global supply chain,” Seroka said. Imports for the month decreased by 25.9% compared with March 2019, and exports by 23.8%. Empty containers declined by 44.5%, the release said.
After 47,000 stores in the U.S. closed in a week, Flexport says that so many companies can't take shipments arriving at East Coast ports that those ports are now shopping for more warehouse space. Because importing companies' warehouses are either full or closed, they tell the ports they'll pay demurrage charges for the goods to stay there. “The ports are actually worried now they won’t have enough space,” said Chandrakant Kanoria, Flexport's head of network operations, during a webinar March 31. He said Savannah is hoping to almost double its warehouse space, and the New York and New Jersey terminals are talking with warehouse providers to try to make room, as well. There are problems in the warehouse logistics ecosystem, as well, because Amazon warehouses stopped accepting any goods other than essentials.
The American Association of Exporters and Importers is asking the Trump administration to help importers and exporters deal with the impact of COVID-19 response measures, whether that impact is a cash crunch, the effects of telework or business decisions made in response to delays in shipments from China. The group is asking the administration to extend the time to respond to regulatory notices that are paper based, including entry filings deadlines, because telecommuting makes it more difficult to manage the paper flow. It is also asking CBP to extend the protest period for customs duties and decisions.
As more local shelter-in-place orders are issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, brokers and forwarders should examine each order to determine whether their services are exempt, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an email. “However, based upon the Order to Shelter in Place issued by the Public Health Officer of Alameda County, California two days ago, it would seem that the activities of forwarders and customs brokers would fall within the exemption provided, as those activities are essential to keep goods moving in commerce,” it said. Exempted services include “shipping services, companies that supply other essential businesses with supplies necessary to operate or that ship goods or services to residences, and companies that are engaged in public transportation,” it said.
Delmar International acquired Rotra, a logistics firm that offers freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and warehousing and distribution services, Delmar said in a news release. Rotra is based in Chicago. “The transaction significantly raises the capabilities and size of Delmar’s USA footprint and workforce, which now exceeds two hundred employees, and operates from coast to coast with seven branches throughout the United States,” said Delmar, which is based in Canada. Terms of the deal weren't released.
The Coalition of New England Companies for Trade won't hold its annual conference that was scheduled for March 31 - April 2 in Newport, Rhode Island, “due to growing concerns about Covid-19,” CONECT said on its website. "We are working to reschedule the conference and information will be posted when it is available," it said.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association published the 21st edition of its Restricted Substance List, which provides information on regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel and footwear products around the world. The AAFA released the last list in February 2019. The list “serves as a practical tool to help individuals in textile, apparel and footwear companies, and their suppliers -- responsible for environmental compliance throughout the supply chain -- to become more aware of various national and international regulations governing the amount of substances that are permitted in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products,” the AAFA said.
Half the companies surveyed by the U.S.-China Business Council say that it's too soon to tell if the tariffs in the China trade war were worth it for the gains won at the negotiating table, even as 78 percent of respondents welcome the phase one deal. Companies see the phase one deal -- which takes effect Feb. 14 -- as something that will prevent more tariff hikes. Of those who are directly affected by the commitments in phase one -- 60 percent of the companies -- the purchase promises matter most, with 30 percent saying that's the most relevant plank. Protection of intellectual property was a close second, with 27 percent of companies saying that's most important.