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Sydney blockage 21/11/23

 

Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the entrance to Hutchison Ports Sydney Terminal last night, causing Hutchison to cancel landside truck entry zones and disrupting cargo flow.

 

Port Botany was also briefly blocked along Foreshore Road by protesters.

 

Protests were directed against the berthing of the Zim Line vessel CALANDRA, which operates between Southern China and Australia on the China Australia Express (CAX).

 

Ocean terminal backlogs and delays

 

DP World Australia’s Port Botany Terminal has been experiencing significant disruption as a result of ongoing protected industrial actions by its stevedoring workforce and maritime union, as well as backlogs resulting from a major cyber-attack earlier this month.

 

Patrick’s, VICT and Hutchinson Terminals are also experiencing operational difficulties, leading to significant truck queuing and truck turnaround times ranging from an average of 4-6 hours per trip across all terminals.

 

For the backlog to be cleared, it is also reasonable to assume more night and weekend wharf collections will be required. The downside is that this all comes at a high operational cost, and this will see transport fees triggered for the likes of waiting times, futile trips, or general landside congestion surcharges.

 

Having terminals backlogged landside also delays vessel arrivals, thereby delaying the vessel’s return to its origin port as well.  During the Covid pandemic, this effect on vessel schedules and transit times was at its worst. Before it reaches these previous levels, it is hoped that Federal Minister intervention will be triggered.

 

DP World Protected Industrial Action

DP World have announced another update in that members of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU, MUA Division) have, despite continued efforts to reach an understanding, outlined a further series of work bans and stoppages up to and including Monday 4 December, as listed below.

 

Brisbane: 20/11/2023 to 27/11/2023
Sydney: 20/11/2023 to 27/11/2023
Melbourne: 20/11/2023 to 27/11/2023
Fremantle: 20/11/2023 to 27/11/2023

Brisbane: 27/11/2023 to 04/12/2023
Sydney: 27/11/2023 to 04/12/2023
Melbourne: 27/11/2023 to 04/12/2023
Fremantle: 27/11/2023 to 04/12/2023

We appreciate your understanding as we continue to work through these events and our teams continue to monitor the situation. Container specific information will be provided to those impacted and we shall endeavour to extract the best possible outcome for clients.
Should you have any queries on this subject please contact our account management or transport teams directly for container specific discussions.

 

 

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