ORION MARINE CORPORATION
Did you know? Orion Marine now offers reliable US Flag / P1 container service to Afghanistan. Cargo is handled via Baltic Ports. Please contact our associates for more details and rates.
IN HOUSE NEWS: | NEWS. CHILE The powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile last weekend has affected as many as 2 million people. It has had serious impact on the country’s transport infrastructure. Damage continues to be assessed. Santiago’s International Airport was initially closed off for all flight operations, but has since reopened. Chile's main seaport in Valparaiso was ordered closed, but is operating again. Roads leading to/from the port of San Antonio are in good condition and the port has restarted operations. All ports to the North, such as Antofagasta and Iquique, are open and operating. The port of San Vicente in the Conception Bay area will remain closed until further notice. HAITI Regular service to Haiti’s ports of Port-au-Prince and Lafiteau have been re-established. Priority is initially given to cargo loads for humanitarian goods and infrastructure relief. The situation on the ground in Haiti remains dire. To date distribution of food aid has been limited and only a small portion of the people that need food aid have received it. The rapidly approaching rainy season is the next worry. International leaders have met in Montreal last week and agreed on a ten-year plan to rebuild Haiti. GREECE Farmers, protesting high production costs and low prices, are still staging roadblocks around the country, resulting in delays on highways and at border crossings. Many highways in Greece are blocked, as is a Bulgarian-Greek border crossing, causing severe transport problems for cargo destined to both countries. A blockade of the Thessaloniki-Bulgaria rail connection is not being ruled out at this time. SUDANHeavy fighting has been reported in Sudan, involving government forces and a rebel group. The opposition group shunned the truce that was signed just recently in Qatar. The Peace Deal is an attempt to end the seven-year conflict in Darfur. Fighting intensified in the last few days and thousands of people are fleeing. Access to many areas has been impossible. ALGERIA ConFlo Lines, in cooperation with its partner CBT Logistics in Hamburg, Germany, offers reliable service via Estonia to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Please contact our associates for more details and rates . Due to ever increasing threats of violence inside Pakistan and Afghanistan, updated security measurements are being put in place for cargo moving from Karachi to destinations inside Afghanistan. Several ‘Security / Monitoring Points’ have been established in both Pakistan and Afghanistan along the trucking routes to Kabul and Kandahar. Documentation, cargo and vehicle checks take place at Peshewar. Convoys are being escorted from Pakistan border points to Afghanistan destinations. Additional security measures can be arranged. Despite all security measures in place, it is recommended to obtain insurance coverage for all cargo to final destinations in Afghanistan.
With immediate effect, the United States Embassy Kabul is requiring the following documentation for all cargo bound for Afghanistan. 1. total of (2) Original bills of lading per shipment 2. total of (2) Original Commercial invoice 3. total of (2) Original Packing List 4. any other supporting documentation must be an Original To prevent fraudulent entry, copies of these documents are no longer acceptable for Afghan transport. It is recommended the exporter prepare additional original sets of the commercial invoice and packing list in case of need. Any additional charges for incomplete documentation will be the responsibility of the exporter. Orion Marine Corp, the exclusive US agent for ConFlo Lines, BWI has been a recognized leader in transportation to Afghanistan and will strictly adhere to the standards set by the United States Embassy. For the latest information on transportation to Afghanistan, please contact one of our representatives. ANGOLA Second hand rolling cargo (cars, trucks, other rolling stock) is restricted from being imported through the port of Luanda. Port of discharge for second hand rolling cargo is Lobito. The discharge of new rolling cargo is allowed in Luanda. Bill of Ladings for this cargo will need to clearly state “New” vehicles. NIGERIA DR CONGO SENEGAL NIGER / CAR Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN) are required for shipments to various African countries. CTNs are used for cargo tracking, as well as collecting statistical data for future planning. Shippers are responsible for requesting CTNs for their cargo to the above listed countries and for including CTN numbers on every shipment t to ensure cargo release to consignee without delay
The worldwide laid up container fleet in now the biggest ever. Almost 550 vessels with a total capacity of over 1.25 million TEU were reported idle in October 2009. As of January 2010, the number has climbed to about 1.5 million TEUs overall, or 11.6% of the global fleet. Unless demand strengthens, this number is expected to continue to rise. |
