Due to strikes at major ports in many countries, USPS and FedEx announced a ban on such products!

Recently, strikes and marches broke out in many countries, seriously affecting the operation of ports and liner ships. Sellers need to avoid them urgently!

Since the coup in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar earlier this month, nationwide demonstrations have been underway in the country, paralyzing traffic in many cities and disrupting port liner operations.

A few days ago, a large-scale demonstration involving hundreds of thousands of people broke out in Myanmar. On February 22, 2021, with five 2s in the date, the so-called "22222" demonstration broke out. The number of demonstrators was at least hundreds of thousands, and the streets were deserted.

Starting from that morning, people from many states and provinces in Myanmar, including Naypyidaw, Yangon, Mandalay, Shan State, Ayeyarwady, Karen State, and Kachin State, took to the streets of various cities to march, holding up flags and slogans. Crowds gathered on the roads, turning them into a sea of ​​people.

The head of the Myanmar Long Distance Freight Forwarding Association said that due to the large-scale nationwide demonstrations in Myanmar, on February 22, all trucks from Yangon to various regions were suspended. Similarly, trucks within various regions were also suspended and could not go to Yangon. According to the decision of truck drivers and owners, the truck logistics and transportation industry has suspended operations.

Ongoing social unrest in Myanmar has disrupted liner operations at the country’s ports, causing service disruptions and delays.

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has announced a temporary suspension of freight bookings to Myanmar as the political situation in the country deteriorates.

It is reported that there will be another strike at the Port of Montreal in Canada, and shippers will begin to make alternative routing arrangements. Industry groups warn that a new round of strike action will seriously damage the supply chain and the Canadian economy.

Stakeholders fear a strike at the port could occur as early as the end of next month, when a truce between the Maritime Employers Association, which represents dockworkers, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees expires.

On February 16, the union notified its members that contract negotiations had been suspended and prepared for a 60-day strike mandate to vote.

The two sides have been at loggerheads since the port’s labor contract expired in late 2018. The standoff escalated into industrial action last summer, paralyzing much of the port’s operations and causing severe supply chain disruptions that took two months to untangle.

Shippers and logistics providers are eager to prevent a new round of strikes, which the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) warns will pose a serious threat to the Montreal, Quebec and Canadian economies as a whole.

" The last strike proved to be a disaster ," said Michelle McCaughan, senior director of sales and operations at AGO Transportation, a Montreal-based logistics provider that has been avoiding moving goods through alternative corridors. " Our cargo was stuck in Halifax for two months and was eventually put back on a ship bound for Montreal because it was faster than waiting for rail."

According to Greek media reports, the Greek Tugboat and Salvage Crew Union decided to hold a 48-hour strike at the Port of Piraeus, Greece, starting at 00:01 local time on February 23, 2021, and ending at 24:00 on February 24, 2021. The strike is part of a 48-hour strike announced by 13 seafarers' unions in the country, which are seeking to abolish provisions affecting seafarers' rights in collective work agreements regarding working hours and rest time.

In fact, this is not the first strike at the Port of Piraeus. Previously, the port's marine workers went on strike because they were dissatisfied with Greece's personal income tax reform, which seriously affected the flow of materials, caused a large number of people to stay and economic losses, forcing the Greek government to intervene.

During the strike, the Port of Piraeus will not be able to provide tugboat services, which will reduce the maneuverability of ships at the port and affect the berthing of ships. After arriving at the port, berthing will become a major problem. After the strike ends, the mountains of cargo will cause serious congestion in the port.

In addition, due to the worst snowfall in 15 years at the Port of Piraeus, the container terminal at the port was delayed last week. As the largest port in Greece and a famous cargo distribution center in Europe, the port congestion caused by the strike is bound to have a huge impact on the flow of goods in Europe .

A spokesman for Hapag-Lloyd Shipping Company said, "It is difficult to predict the extent of the impact the strike will have on port congestion. It is expected that the waiting time for ships arriving at the port between February 21 and 26 will increase."

When Congress approved the most recent appropriations bill to keep the government running, lawmakers also passed the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act , which would ban the United States Postal Service (USPS) from shipping e-cigarette products.

During a Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association (SFATA) webinar, Patricia Kovacevic, founder and president of PK Regulatory Strategies, said the legislation defines electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as “devices that deliver nicotine, flavors or any other substance to the user through the inhalation of the device.”

Due to the risks associated with transporting e-cigarette products, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will ban the transportation of any form of e-cigarette products (including import and export) in the U.S. domestic logistics network from April 5, 2021 .

FedEx announced that e-cigarette products will be included in the list of prohibited transportation from May 1, 2021. DHL also included e-cigarette products in the list of transportation that will not be accepted.

Due to changes in the prohibited items policies of the USPS and FedEx, UPS professional sales staff may receive requests from sellers of e-cigarette products to start shipping with UPS. Based on the upcoming policy changes, UPS said it should not provide service to these sellers , even temporarily.

(Source: Cross-border Sellers Teahouse)