BULLETIN : SYDNEY PORT CONGESTION – NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL ACTION – VESSEL SPACE LEADING INTO CHINA NATIONAL HOLIDAY

“Last week, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) notified Patrick Terminals of its intention to take further Protected Industrial Action at Patrick Terminals – Fremantle and Brisbane in addition to Protected Action already notified. The details of this action are listed below.” 

“Currently, our Sydney Terminal is currently 12-14 days behind schedule, and it is forecast that the delays will increase due to the ongoing Protected Industrial Action. It is estimated that there is a backlog 35,000 containers waiting to be loaded or discharged at Patrick Terminals – Sydney. Patrick Terminals in Brisbane and Melbourne also have berthing delays in excess of five days.”
Brisbane

• 4-hour stoppages at 03:00 am, 11:00am and 07:00pm on Friday 25 September 2020;

Fremantle

• A ban on the performance of work on the Swan River Bridge for 31 hours commencing from 12:01 am Friday 25 September 2020;
• 24-hour stoppage of work commencing 07:00am Tuesday 29 September 2020;

Previously advised Protection Action:
Patrick Terminals – Melbourne

• 24-hour stoppage of work commencing 06.00am Friday 18 September 2020.
• 1-hour stoppages at 6.00am, 2.00pm and 10.00pm every day for 14 consecutive days commencing on Monday 21 September 2020.
• 1-hour stoppages at 6.00am, 2.00pm and 10.00pm each day from Monday, 14 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the performance of overtime commencing from 06.00am from Monday, 14 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the performance of work on the vessel, Spirit of Auckland, for a period of 4-hrs commencing at 05.00am on Monday 14 September 2020.
• 8-hour stoppage of work commencing at 07:00 am on Monday 7 September;
• A ban on the performance of work on the vessel Maersk Semakau for a period of 8hrs commencing at 07:00 am from Monday 7 September 2020;
• Ban on performance of upgrades and/or work in higher levels from 07:00 am Friday 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period
• A ban on the working of shift extensions from 07:00 am Friday, 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on performance of work on vessels that have been subcontracted or outsourced to Patrick by another stevedoring company from 07:00 am Friday 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period.

Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Auto Strad 

• 4-hour stoppages commencing at 07:00am Friday 11 September 2020 and 07:00am Friday 18 September 2020;
• 4-hour stoppages commencing at 07:00pm Friday 11 September 2020 and 07:00pm Friday 18 September 2020;
• A ban on the performance of shift extensions commencing at 07:00am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on attending work on days an employee is rostered as “off/avail” from 07:00 am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on attending work on days an employee is called into work after being placed on the standby list from 07:00am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on attending for work after being called into work when not allocated from 07:00am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on performance of work on vessels that have been subcontracted or outsourced to Patrick by another stevedoring company from 07:00 am Friday 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period.
• A ban on performance of upgrades and/or work in higher levels (except for Leading Hand Lasher) from 07:00 am Friday, 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period;

Patrick Terminals – Fremantle 

• Ban on the performance of work on the Margaret River Bridge for 32 hours, from 11:00pm Thursday 17 September 2020 to 07:00am Saturday 19 September 2020
• A ban on attending for work on days an employee is called into work after being placed on the standby list from 07:00am 17 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on attending for work on days an employee is called into work when not allocated from 07:00am 17 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the performance of work on the vessel Swan River Bridge commencing at 12:01 am from Friday 11 September 2020 and continuing until 7:00am on Saturday 12 September 2020;
• Ban on performance of upgrades and/or work in higher levels from 07:00 am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on attending for work on days an employee is rostered as “off/avail” from 07:00 am Monday 14 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the working of shift extensions from 07:00am Friday, 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the working of overtime from 07:00am Friday, 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the performance of work on the vessel Margaret River Bridge for a period of 24hrs commencing at 07:00am from Friday, 4 September 2020;
• 24-hour stoppage of work commencing at 07:00am Friday, 4 September;
• A ban on performance of work on vessels that have been subcontracted or outsourced to Patrick by another stevedoring company from 07:00am Friday, 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period.

Patrick Terminals – Sydney Auto Strad

• A ban on the performance of overtime commencing at 06:00am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the performance of shift extensions commencing at 06:00am Friday 11 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• Ban on performance of upgrades and/or work in higher levels from 06:00am Saturday 5 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• A ban on the performance of work on Project SABRE (Port-side Rail Project) commencing at 06:00 am Friday 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period;
• 4-hour stoppage of work commencing at 12:00 midday on Friday 4 September;
• A ban on performance of work on vessels that have been subcontracted or outsourced to Patrick by another stevedoring company from 06:00am Friday 4 September 2020 for an indefinite period.

We are working through the impacts of the additional Protected Industrial Action and will keep you updated with ongoing developments. The National Operations Centre will continue to work with all of our customers to mitigate the impacts of the industrial action.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused as a result of the Protected Industrial Action and take this opportunity to assure you that we are working towards an outcome that will ultimately enable us to continue to deliver the best results for our customers.

*******end copy*********************

The vessel delays have been leading to a negative impact on overall shipping schedules with vessels late returning to origin port and thus effectively removing a week of sailing and the corresponding space from the market. This in turn has seen rates spike , and available space unable to satisfy the demand for same.  Leading into the China National holiday, a notoriously busy shipping period in any year, these constraints on the market couldn’t come at a worse time.

Our local and origin teams are working diligently, vessel by vessel, to locate and book space to meet our client expectations. We hope to be able to continue to meet expectations in this way. The next few weeks look very difficult in North and South Asia with prime carriers reporting full booking capacity up until November at this point. We will continue to manage case by case until the market returns to a semblance of normality.

Should you have any queries with particular shipments we encourage you to speak directly to our customer service teams for assistance.