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Asia and the US East and Gulf Coasts that will take effect on any shipment gated in to a port for shipment as of Aug. 19. CMA CGM began charging shippers $ 320 per TEU on cargo brought into a port starting July 25. Hapag-Lloyd similarly plans to charge shippers into North America $ 130 per TEU starting Aug. 15 for Panama Canal transits. The new surcharge arrives as the Panama Canal Authority( ACP) started limiting neo-Panamax vessels to a 49-foot depth on July 24, following a July 3 cut from 50 feet to 49.5 feet. The ACP also has another draft restriction for the neo-Panamax locks scheduled for Aug. 15, when ship drafts will be restricted further to a 48.5-foot depth. The cuts are due to“ the potential development of an El Niño phenomenon over the( Gatun

Lake) watershed in the upcoming months,” the ACP said. Gatun Lake’ s depth was 84.6 feet in July, slightly under average, but the ACP is forecasting a drop of almost another foot in depth by September.

Forwarders urge IATA to pause air waybill framework

Global forwarders want the International Air Transport Association( IATA) to pause the rollout of amendments to the direct air waybill( DAWB) framework covering shipment liability, saying it creates legal uncertainty over liability for the cargo. The DAWB framework, which came into effect on July 1, is intended to enforce stricter risk management and accountability for air cargo and enable airlines to hold forwarders financially and legally liable for shipments, even when the forwarder is acting solely as an agent and the actual shipper is named directly on the waybill. But the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations( FIATA) warns that shifting liability onto forwarders— without them having operational control or corresponding insurance coverage— creates legal uncertainty. The group wants IATA to suspend the new framework until formal reviews can gain greater legal clarity across the supply chain.“ Freight forwarders cannot reasonably be expected to assume significant new contractual obligations or liabilities outside of their function without legal certainty or a proper opportunity to assess the resulting operational and insurance implications,” FIATA Director-General Stéphane Graber said in a statement on the eve of the IATA rollout. Graber said the review mechanism was designed to ensure important changes affecting the rights, responsibilities and liabilities of all those affected, including forwarders, shippers and airlines, were properly considered.

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