Import Dwell Fee at Port Houston to Take Effect February 1, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Ratifies New Labor Deal With CN, CBP Bans Imports From Companies Using Forced North Korean Labor.

Ocean

Evergreen to pay more fines to MD for 2022 Chesapeake Bay grounding. Taiwanese company Evergreen has been ordered to pay the state of Maryland more than $676,000 as a penalty for the 11,850 teu boxship Ever Forward running aground in Chesapeake Bay last March. The fine will go toward enhancing state oyster bars.

Ports

ONE to acquire controlling interest in three CA container terminals. Ocean Network Express (ONE) is acquiring a controlling interest in three container terminals in California. ONE said the acquisition of the interests in the terminals is part of its growth strategy and will safeguard access to terminal capacity in key and strategic gateways, Maritime Executive reports. “The recent disruptions to the supply chain due to Covid-19 have highlighted the importance container terminals play in keeping global trade flowing,” said ONE. “The newly acquired container terminals will safeguard ONE’s access to terminal capacity in key and strategic gateways, support its growth ambitions and enhance its service offerings to customers.”

Import dwell fee at Port Houston to take effect February 1. Port Houston is set to implement its Sustained Import Dwell Fee on February 1. The $45 fee will be charged per unit per day starting on the eighth day after the expiration of free time. This fee is in addition to the demurrage charges for loaded import containers and does not replace those charges. Port Houston says that containers will be held until all terminal fees are reconciled.

Trucking

Diesel prices increase after long streak of declines. Following seven straight weeks of declines, the national average price of diesel increased 4.6 cents to $4.583 according to Energy Information Administration data on Jan. 2. The average price for a gallon of diesel costs 97 cents more than it did at this time in 2022.

Rail

Teamsters Canada Rail Conference ratifies new labor deal with CN. CN announced this week that the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference ratified a new collective agreement on Dec. 23. The deal covers about 160 rail traffic controllers in Canada and will last through Dec. 31, 2025. “We are committed to working with our railroaders and their union representatives to create a workplace where employees thrive and together we deliver better and safer service to our valued customers.” CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson said in a news release. Read more Rail Roundup news from FreightWaves here.

Air

Passenger sues Southwest Airlines following holiday meltdown. A passenger has sued Southwest Airlines, saying that the airline failed to provide refunds to passengers who were left stranded after the carrier canceled more than 15,000 flights late last month. Passenger Eric Capdeville accused Southwest of breach of contract in a proposed class action filed on Dec. 30 in New Orleans federal court. Southwest had no comment on the lawsuit, but said it had “several high priority efforts underway to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred as a result of the irregular operations,” according to Reuters.

O’Hare Cargo flights could be disrupted as a result of pro-union mandate. Two-thirds of cargo traffic at O’Hare airport could be at risk of being stranded after the city of Chicago threatened to revoke the licenses of cargo processing contractors if they don’t open to union organizers. The situation is the result of new conditions imposed on airport service providers at O’Hare International Airport (ORD) last summer requiring them to enter into a labor peace agreement within 60 days of a labor union’s request, according to Freightwaves.

International

Germany receives first shipment of LNG from U.S. A tanker arrived in Germany this week with enough gas to supply 50,000 German households with energy for a year, according to a joint statement from terminal operator Uniper SE and Venture Global LNG Inc. The first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the U.S. to Germany arrived at a new floating terminal in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, a “milestone in the nation’s quest to diversify its energy supplies,” Bloomberg reports.

Other

CBP bans imports from companies using forced North Korean labor. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that imports from three companies the agency said use North Korean labor in their supply chains have been banned. The companies are Jingde Trading Ltd., Rixin Foods. Ltd. and Zhejiang Sunrise Garment Group Co. Ltd. The imports are banned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a 2017 law that strengthened sanctions on North Korea, Iran and Russia according to The Hill.

Canada places 2-year ban on foreign home buyers. Canada has enacted a two-year ban on foreign home buyers in order to help ease their nearly unaffordable housing market. The ban prohibits people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents from buying residential properties as of January first, and imposes a C$10,000 fine on anyone who breaches it.