IN D U ST RY N EW S Movers must plan ahead for freight shortages and price rises Movers have been warned to factor in additional time and planning for shipping overseas, as ongoing imbalances of containers around the world and skyrocketing freight prices continue to impact on the industry. was unparalleled. We have been experiencing challenges in booking shipments due to the shortage of containers and space availability on vessels. I have never experienced such a situation in my long working life, not even during the high season, she said. According to The Economist, the cost of a 40-foot container from Asia to Europe had tripled from around US$2,200 to more than $7,900, while the price from the US to Asia had doubled. Meanwhile, the CEO of shipping container line AP Moller-Maersk told the Financial Times that strong demand after lockdowns had caused an extraordinary situation, following complaints by exporters about disruption to their supply chains and high prices. Busettini said businesses had seen delays and cancellations of departures for Asia and the US, shortages of equipment and space in the hold of vessels at departure, and the introduction of equipment imbalance surcharge (EIS) of up to $500 and peak season surcharge (PSS) of up to $500 per container. She added that ongoing strong demand waits for booking departures citing a 330 per cent rise in demand for imports into the US on the previous year. According to Busettini, the most affected routes include Asia-US-Central-South America. However, the impact had been felt on all destinations, she said. communicate with customers about the delays in departures and arrivals of shipments, said Busettini. We highly recommend planning and booking shipments with the longest possible notice. Warn customers and clients there could be delays in arrivals and consider longer transit times than usual, she said. It was also important to mitigate for the new tariffs, but also other possible cost increases, such as needing to warehouse shipments until containers and space on vessels could be secured. She added that, with a diverse range of interlinked causes, she expected the issue to continue for some time. FIDI AFFILIATES WIN CUSTOMER PLAUDITS Several FIDI Affiliates are celebrating awards for excellence. Zdenko Dworak has picked up the silver prize in the transport and traffic category of the Austrian Export Awards 2020, awarded by the Austrian Chamber of Economy. It is the first time a moving company has won in this category. Sales manager Boris Ceselkovski said the award was testament to the skill and hard work of the companys employees, backed up by its FAIM accreditation. I believed we could win this prize and finally we have accomplished the target, he said. Grospiron International has been awarded OMNIs Regional Gold Sales award for Europe. According to the company, the award recognises its contribution to the development of OMNIs business model. Meanwhile, Arpin was awarded Sterling Lexicons Core Values COVID Caring Award for its exceptional customer service toward relocating families and individual clients during the pandemic. Graebel presented London-based Elite Moving Systems (EMS) with its award for Superior Quality Achievement at the 2020 Graebel Partner Alliance Conference, which was also held virtually. Insurance at a time to suit you www.reason-global.com 12 FF301 Q2 21 pp10-17 News.indd 12 Solutions outside the box WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 09/03/2021 14:40