Greg Knowler Container shipping rates will remain at record levels for the rest of the year and into 2022 as demand significantly outpaces capacity in an environment that will further drive up carrier profitability, according to Moody’s Investors Service. “We expect financial performance to be even better in 2021 than it was in 2020,” the…
Nate Tabak Thousands of members of the Canada Border Services Agency are in the midst of voting on whether to authorize a strike — something that could roil the movement of billions of dollars of goods via its border with the U.S., airports and shipping ports. Nowhere more acutely than the Port of Vancouver. Some…
Union members have been without a contract since 2018. Talks with their employer — technically the Treasury Board of Canada — broke down in the fall. They’re seeking pay increases to match other Canadian law enforcement agencies and changes to working conditions. Fortin declined to discuss how he anticipated a strike might affect the movement…
Because of the nature of CBSA officers’ work, many personnel are forbidden from striking. A 2009 decision by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board clarifies how personnel are deemed essential. Essential duties include inspections of goods, but not “assessing and collecting duties, taxes, fees and fines,” according to the decision. The decision…
Port of Vancouver contends with container surge, congestion The Port of Vancouver — Canada’s largest and busiest — has been handling an unprecedented level of container shipping in 2021 along with its competitors up and down the west coast. Vessels are waiting seven days on average for a berth, according to a recent service advisory…
Union ‘has to tread a careful line’ if border officers go on strike While it remains to be seen whether union members will authorize a strike, let alone whether one will happen, they could find themselves in a position that’s even less tenable than the longshoremen who went on strike at the Port of Montreal…
Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index , tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, hit a more than 11-year peak bolstered by firmer rates across vessel segments. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was up 69 points, or 2.1%, at 3,324, its highest level since June…
