Export Trade News

The Australian Alliance for Animals and the RSPCA have expressed dismay over the decision by Australia’s Department of Agriculture to allow the re-export of more than 15,000 sheep on board the Bahijah to the Middle East.Originally, 16,000 Australian sheep and cattle were onboard the Bahijah for over a month after the vessel departed from Australia and then turned back from the Middle East due to maritime security concerns in the Red Sea. It was then recalled to Perth by the Department of Agriculture.The animals were unloaded after the Department rejected a plan for their immediate re-export.

A ship carrying around 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle is marooned off the coast of Australia in sweltering heat after it was forced to abandon a trip through the Red Sea, causing outcry from people concerned about the animals' welfare.The vessel left Australia on Jan. 5 for Israel, where it was to unload, but diverted from its course in mid-January due to the threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi militia before being ordered home by the Australian government.The animals are now in limbo and could be discharged in Australia…

The RSPCA has welcomed the tabling of the Australian federal Minister for Agriculture's response to one of the largest Australian parliamentary e-petitions in history, calling for an end to live sheep export.Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, stated: “The Australian Government acknowledges the considerable community concerns about animal welfare in the trade of live sheep exports by sea and understands the desire to see action.“The government took the commitment to phase out live sheep exports by sea to two elections…

Malaysia has paused the import of all live cattle and buffalo from Australia citing concern about lumpy skin disease (LSD).The move follows a decision last month by Indonesia to halt live cattle imports from four locations in Australia after 13 cattle were found to have the disease.Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Mark Schipp has released a statement saying that Australia is urgently engaging with its Malaysian counterparts to advise that LSD is not present in Australia.“I have made representations to my Malaysian counterpart…

Brazil has banned the export of live cattle from all its ports.Reuters reports that federal judge Djalma Gomes’s ruling states: "Animals are not things. They are sentient living beings, that is, individuals who feel hunger, thirst, pain, cold, anguish, fear."The verdict was handed down after the National Forum for the Protection and Defense of Animals filed a law suit in 2017.The case, still subject to appeal, comes as New Zealand also banned the export of cattle from its shores from April 30.

The Port of Antwerp is adapting to losing shipping trade with Russia and its merger with the neighboring Port of Zeebrugge is set to boost overall volumes in coming years, the group's chief executive said on Thursday.Global shipping companies including leading container lines have cut business ties with Russia due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of Western sanctions. While food and medical shipments are still allowed, overall exports to Russia have been hit…

A "poorly maintained" livestock carrier seen operating with a list and a hole in its hull has been banned from Australian ports for a period of 24 months, the country's "most severe banning to date", authorities said Friday.The Marshall-Islands-flagged Barkly Pearl was initially spotted on November 3, 2020 traveling through Australia’s northern waters with a large hole in its hull, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) issued an intervention direction instructing…

A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the only crew member rescued so far told Japan's coastguard on Thursday.The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas.Japan's coastguard said it had rescued one crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, on Wednesday night (Tokyo time) while searching for the ship.According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said.When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it will initiate an investigation into whether ballast water regulations proposed by the Government of Canada discriminate against U.S. flag vessel operators in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.The FMC commissioners voted unanimously to accept a petition filed by trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) asking the commision to perform the investigation and examine the detriment and harm to the U.S. flag fleet resulting…

Throughout April, container shipping spot freight rates on the back-haul trade from North Europe to China were higher than those on the front-haul trade from China to North Europe. This is a rare occurrence that has developed in the wake of the massive supply chain disruptions in the world’s top manufacturing hub due to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing aftershocks across the Far East.“A reversal of front-haul and back-haul spot freight rates is a rare event. Especially on a high-volume main trade route like the Far East to Europe…

Steve Felder, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia has outlined the developments in 2019 and what we can expect in 2020:“While the global container demand was lower in 2019 due to weaker growth in the global economy, India witnessed a broad-based slowdown in its import export trade as well after a growth of several years. This is aligned closely with the weaker domestic demand, tight liquidity and working capital as well as a reflection of the overall cyclical weakening of the economic environment in all the main global economies.

India's container trade growth slowed to 1 percent (9% in the same period last year) in Q2 2019 on account of various factors like growing trade tensions and slump in manufacturing sector, Maersk said."The slow down is due to a cocktail of international factors such as slowing trade growth, and growing trade tensions – coupled with domestic factors like rural consumer distress, tightening liquidity and a slow-down in key manufacturing sectors. Combined, these triggers impacted the country’s economic activity, slowing overall import-export growth," said Maersk India Trade Report Q2 2019.India’s exports to China declined by 20%, led by a reduction in demand for India-made textiles &  apparel, which were large export commodities in the corresponding period last year.

Look beneath the surface of a relatively calm month for long-term contracted ocean freight rates and, says Oslo-headquartered Xeneta, industry observers will see a maelstrom of activity, adjustments and market uncertainty.According to the latest XSI Public Indices report from Xeneta, the leading ocean freight rate benchmarking and market analytics platform, July saw a marginal decline in rates of 0.4%, with a marked fall in the Far East export benchmark. Meanwhile US exports and European imports performed well.The global index has now fallen by 2.4% since its all time high in May this year…

India’s containerised trade with the world has grown steadily, recording an overall import-export trade growth of 6% according to the Q4 2018 trade report released by Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company.Increasing demand for refrigerated cargo from India coupled with improved trade relations with China with introduction of favourable trade policies, has driven exports to grow a healthy 3% in Q4.The demand for India-made goods such as vehicles, cereals and rice; supplemented by refrigerated cargo such as fish, seafood, vegetables and pharmaceuticals saw maximum growth in exports. While imports have maintained a stable growth of 9%, largely driven by substantial inflow of metals and paper.

The long-established Hamburg company NOSKE-KAESER Maritime Solutions will be turning 140 years old.Managing director Jürgen Matthes is delighted about the jubilee: “This is a very special anniversary for us. The company has had its ups and downs over the decades, but with outstanding products, loyal employees and a loyal customer and supplier base, ultimately it appears that success can be achieved even in uncertain times.” Following the acquisition by ENGIE Axima, which is part of the French ENGIE energy group, NOSKE-KAESER has been back in safe waters since December 2017.

The Hague-headquartered international container terminal operating company APM Terminals has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sahathai Terminal PLC (PORT) and Mitr Phol Sugar to develop a 345,000 TEU capacity greenfield container terminal in Bangkok, Thailand.According to a press release,  Bangkok River Terminal Limited (BRT) will accommodate Thailand’s rapidly-growing containerized import and export trade.Sahathai Terminal PLC (PORT), Thailand’s leading container terminal and logistics company formed a Joint Venture with Mitr Phol Sugar to develop this Container Terminal in October 2018. With over 35-years’ experience in Thailand with container operations in Lat Krabang and Laem Chabang, APM Terminals’ participation will further strengthen the joint venture.

India´s containerized trade with the BRICS´ nations trademarks a rise of 14 percent. Export trade from India to Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa in Q1 2018 increased 7,5 percent YOY from same period last year. South Africa turned to be Indian´s top trade partner.BRICS EXIM trade registers steady growth of 1.5 percent in Q1 2018 compared to Q1 2017. “Last year, the BRICS´ joint contribution to the world economy was 23.6 percent, and according to the International Monetary Fund’s predictions this is set to rise to 26.8 percent by 2022.

With effect on 2 April, François Dupont is appointed Director of the International Trade department at Naval Group. He will oversee all the areas in which Naval Group has prospective customers. He reports to Alain Guillou, Executive Vice President, Development. International development represents a major challenge for Naval Group, whose international sales should represent 50% of its revenues by 2020, compared to a third currently. François Dupont joined Naval Group at the age…

United Arab Emirates-based maritime conglomerate DP World has announced that Ethiopia will become a shareholder of the Port of Berbera in Somaliland, a crucial site for Middle Eastern trade, strategically located along the oil route. As the biggest shareholder of the port of Berbera, DP World announced that it would hold 51 percent stake of the project, the Somalis, 30 percent, and Ethiopia, the remaining 19 percent. The government of Ethiopia will also invest in infrastructure to develop the Berbera Corridor as a trade gateway for the inland country, which is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. There are also plans to construct an additional berth at the Port of Berbera…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced its determination to participate in the "Consortium to develop trade data sharing platform using blockchain technology," in which NTT DATA Corporation serves as the administrative office. The consortium is comprised of 14 trade-related companies such as banking, insurance, total logistics providers and export/import companies. Current trading practices rely heavily on bills of lading and other documents. This creates burdens such as additional time to complete procedures and requires additional labor and costs. This program aims to increase convenience for customers by using blockchain technology…

Port Hedland Mayor, Camilo Blanco, and the Town of Port Hedland’s CEO, David Pentz, attended the launch of the LNG Marine Fuel Institute at Parliament House, Canberra on Wednesday, June 21. The Institute, which was opened by The Honorable Josh Frydenberg MP, Federal Minister for the Environment and Energy, hopes to see Australian LNG as the primary fuel for marine transportation, powering the road, rail and mining industries. Mayor Blanco said that the Institute will work with industry and Government partners to position Australia at the forefront of LNG…

Descartes Systems Group, a leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce via the Global Logistics Network (GLN), announced that it has acquired Datamyne, a provider of cloud-based trade data content solutions for customers to analyze import and export trade activity. Datamyne, primarily operating in the U.S. and South America, collects, cleanses and commercializes logistics trade data from over 50 nations across five continents, including key markets in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the European Union. More than 100 million records are gathered each year from official filings with customs authorities and trade ministries.

Classification society Korean Register (KR) has signed an agreement with the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) to deliver services on behalf of the Indian flag administration, carrying out vessel surveys and issuing certificates according to international conventions. KR is now able to conduct relevant surveys and audits and to issue certificates to Indian flagged ships for SOLAS, MARPOL, ITC, ICLL and MLC. India's maritime industry has strong potential for growth because of its geographical location between Asia and Africa and its 7,000-kilometer-long coastline, KR said. India's recent economic growth has dramatically increased the value of its import and export trade. However, the port facilities and vessels to accommodate this growth are lacking.