November 6, 2020 – As detailed, the CBSA has been experiencing significant delays in trade-related data processing as of Tuesday afternoon. They have now indicated the issue is being caused by very high processing demand on CBSA IT systems related to specific recurring transactions in their systems. This has led to a severe backlog and much slower processing times for cross-border shipments. CBSA indicated the issue could have been caused by the combination of several updates and maintenance being performed on IT systems over the last few weeks, but the agency is still trying to identify the root cause of the issue and is working 24/7 to fix the problem as soon as possible. CBSA is hopeful that the issue will be fully resolved by sometime today. There have been rumours that the CBSA was a victim of a cyber-attack but we have no evidence at this time to support this.
November 5, 2020 – There have been no updates on the ongoing CBSA issues and multiple requests for clarification have not been answered. For many of our customers, we have switched to paper clearance procedures at no additional cost as a result of this outage. If you have any issues with your clearance, please contact us immediately.
November 4, 2020 – CBSA continues to experience technical issues. Our customers that have been affected have now been put onto our contingency plan to ensure smooth clearances.
November 3, 2020 – CBSA has been experiencing intermittent IT Issues which have delayed customs releases across the country along all modes of transport. We will update this situation as it develops.
November 4, 2020 – Cargo owners should start planning for an upwards correction in long-term ocean freight contract prices, according to container shipping consultancy Sea-Intelligence, which believes the current levels of contract rates are not high by historical standards and that the low rates enjoyed by customers in recent years are the “aberration.” Having reviewed price developments over the past 22 years, Sea-Intelligence’s latest Sunday Spotlight report concluded that the current level of long-term contract rates “are not high,” except in contrast to the weak rates in recent years, which were caused by a severe vessel overcapacity resulting from the last global financial crisis. But it also warned of major uncertainties ahead.
November 1, 2020 – The ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert are expected to contend with vessel delays and longer rail container dwell times that emerged this month through the end of the year as Canada’s supply chain adjusts to an extended peak season. Container shortages and weather problems at Asian load ports have thrown vessels off schedule this summer in the eastbound trans-Pacific. Terminal operations in Vancouver and Prince Rupert have been further complicated by the deployment of extra-loader vessels in the trans-Pacific. Meanwhile, the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways have not fully recovered from network disruptions dating back to a dockworker strike at the Port of Montreal in August.
October 26, 2020 – Contrary to the economic weakness evident in the USA, transpacific rates from Asia to North America continue to be sold at record levels. Empirical evidence shows that delays of 3-4 weeks are still in place as customers bid up the prices in order to ensure cargo arrives by the US Black Friday. Canaan Transport believes that the peak season will last into mid-November before it tapers off. We continue to assist our customers who need to ship their cargo during this time.
October 19, 2020 – As container shipping’s rollercoaster year continues a steep climb, Jeremy Nixon, CEO of Ocean Network Express (ONE), has declared: “We’re sold out.” “We are now in October, and it’s unbelievable,” Mr. Nixon said. “We’re sold out – the ships are 100% full, the containers are 100% full, you can’t get a container and you can’t pick up a ship from the spot market. The whole container shipping cycle is working at absolute full pelt, and our job is trying to keep the network going.” And fresh operational hurdles are emerging at numerous port congestion hotspots, he added.
October 12, 2020 – The CMA CGM e-commerce sites are operational again after a cyberattack caused them to go offline for nearly two weeks, the carrier announced Sunday. The company said all main functionalities are operational: bookings, tracking, route finder, Myprices and invoices. We are assisting our customers in recovery of their bookings now that their system is fully functional.
October 5, 2020 – Cargo from the diverted vessels that discharged in Halifax due to the Montreal port strike is currently experiencing excessive dwell times, and the lack of sufficient railcars at Halifax to cope with the additional volumes continues. Consequently, arrangements have been made to divert a vessel to Halifax to evacuate the delayed cargo and take it to Montreal for furtherance inland. The MV Glasgow Express 01E38 assigned to the Mediterranean Canada Service (MCA) will perform this transshipment leg. The vessel will call Montreal first and discharge her regular imports. She will then sail back to Halifax to collect the diverted cargo, return to Montreal to discharge and then load regular exports. Our customers that are affected will receive new arrival notices on October 9 for the affected cargo. In Saint John, the situation is much improved and fluidity is improving. It is expected that all diverted Import cargo will be cleared by next week.