COVID-19 & International Shipping Contact us regarding COVID-19 impact 27/04/2020 India Lock down has been extended until 03/05/2020 – In order to lessen the damage of supply chains at seaports, The Indian government has asked shipping companies or carriers and their agents not to charge, levy or recover any demurrage or ground rent beyond the allowed free period, as well as storage charges at ports during the lockdown period Due to a shortage of workers, Ports have been strugglings to move cargoes, particularly for dry bulk shipments. In addition, the movement of trucks has become very slow at some ports Ships arriving from COVID-19 infected countries can only be berthed in India 14 days after their departure from their port of origin. Stoppage time spent on the way, for bunkering at a port of any such infected country, will not be counted in this calculation. Major shipping lines have announced blank sailings 15/04/2020 Spain Spain is beginning to gradually ease strict lock down measures. People in manufacturing, construction and some services are being allowed to return to work, but must stick to strict safety guidelines. The rest of the population must still remain at home. Italy Gradually allowing a narrow range of firms to resume operations as of Tuesday. 01/04/2020 The letter from the UK Department for Transport regarding essential work of the Logistics Sector during COVID-19 crisis:- The UK Department for Transport has released a letter addressed to representatives from The Road Haulage Association and Freight Transport Association. The letter offers much needed clarity in respect of what is deemed essential work in the Logistics Sector to be continued to be performed during this COVID-19 lockdown period. The letter outlines that “the Department for Transport considers it essential that the work of the logistics sector should continue to the greatest extent possible through the COVID-19 crisis”. It also outlines that “haulage drivers, managers, warehouse staff and all other logistics professionals need to continue to go about their business to keep the supply chains moving, and government policy is clear that this applies to all supplies chains and not only those for food and medical supplies”. The letter reiterates that “at all times workers should however follow Public Health England guidelines on social distancing”. A full version of the letter has been published and can be seen in the attached image. Spain Lockdown Update – Supply Chain continues operating:- The Spanish Government has implemented stricter lockdown measures as to gain control over the COVID-19 outbreak, it was announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Saturday 28.03.2020. Over the past few days we have been working closely with our Transport Partners trying to gain a full understanding of what cargoes are allowed to be transported in Spain to ensure that we are not breaking the law or will be liable to fines. Our intention is to continue operating and accepting cargo as close to usual conditions as is safe and legal to do so. Last night the Spanish Government issued a full clarification where by Spanish companies engaged in supply chain activities can continue operating as to keep the flows going during this time. Some of the factories are opening their warehousing operation as to dispatch the stock they have ready. Banks & Lloyd Shipping continue transport operation from Spain to the UK and UK to Spain. Italy Lockdown Update – Warehousing operations at some of the factories are starting to re open:- We are being informed by a growing number of factories in Italy that they have been authorized to start loading operations from 02.04.2020. The factories have in place all the safety standards required to operate during the COVID-19 crisis. We are keeping a record of all authorised factories and are here to provide further information. 23/03/2020 UK Shipping update:- The shipping industry, as a whole, has been designated of strategic importance and therefore all indications are that ships will continue to arrive, containers will continue to be discharged and delivered. All HMRC procedures will be handled accordingly. Whilst we anticipate some delays in port operations due to increased hygiene measures being in place (i.e. deep clean of all port areas at the start and the end of the day) we currently have no concerns regarding a full-scale lockdown. All workers involved in the supply chain have been given a ‘key worker’ status by the UK Government as to ensure cargoes continue moving and the economy continues operating. Italy COVID-19 Upscaled lockdown:- The Italian Government has dramatically upscaled lockdown measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. Supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and post offices are among businesses that will be permitted to keep trading under the new rules. On Sunday, 22/03/20 Italians were also banned from moving across municipalities other than for “non-deferrable and proven business or health reasons or other urgent matters”. All but essential manufacturing must stop. The list of permissible segments of industry manufacture and services includes agricultural products, food, beverage, technical and industrial textiles, paper, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment etc. Please feel free to contact us for the full list. Transport services (full containers/groupage) continue operating. We work on a case by case basis and will always check with your shipper if they are open for loading keeping you fully up to date at all times. India COVID-19 Lockdown:- The Centre and State governments in India have decided to completely shutdown 75 districts across the country where COVID-19 cases have been reported until 31/03/20 as to contain the spread of COVID-19. Seaports continue operating but vessel berthing is getting delayed, railways operate for essential commodities only. Most of the factories have made a decision to shut down. Here is a list of cities that are under lockdown:- Andhra Pradesh, Prakasam, Vijaywada, Vizag, Chandigarh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Raipur, Delhi, Central East, Delhi North, Delhi North, West Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi, Gujarat, Kutch, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Haryana, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panchkula, Panipat, Gurugram, Himachal Pradesh, Kangra, UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu, Karnataka, Bangalore, Chikkaballapura, Mysore, Kodagu, Kalaburagi, Kerala, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Iduki, Kannur, Kasargod, Kottayam, Mallapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvanthpuram, Thrissur, UT of Ladakh, Kargil, Leh,Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur, Maharashtra, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Mumbai Sub-Urb, Pune, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane, Yavatmal, Odisha, Khurda, Puducherry, Mahe, Punjab, Hoshiarpur, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar, Rajasthan, Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Erode, Kanchipuram, Telangana, Bhadradri, Kothagudem, Hyderabad, Medchai, Ranga Reddy Sanga Reddy, Uttar Pradesh, Agra,GB Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Uttarakhand, Dehradun, West Bengal, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas. We work on a case by case basis and will always check with your shipper if they are open for loading keeping you fully up to date at all times. 20/03/2020 As the COVID-19 situation continues to remain challenging worldwide Banks & Lloyd (Shipping) Ltd wanted to inform you on where we are this week and provide you with important updates. Our key message to you at this time is that we are here for you and ready to assist you, whatever your questions are. We are in constant contact with shipping lines, supply chain partners, UK freight organisations as well as our extensive partner network worldwide. Because of this, we are able to quickly identify any issues that may arise and do our utmost to find viable solution that may be available. Important internal update:- As part of our robust contingency measures implemented in the light of potential COVID-19 impact as to ensure uninterrupted flow of service provided to our Customers at all times we will be changing the way our FCL (Full containers) Operations Department works. We have set up 4 dedicated teams whose focus will be on 4 essential elements of each shipment. The teams are as follows:- Routings Team – routings@banksandlloyd.com – will take care of setting up your orders and arranging the loadings at origin, keeping you fully up to date at the start of the shipment; Tracking Team- tracking@banksandlloyd.com – will closely monitor the status of your shipments once they are in transit, checking arrival date and keeping you fully up to date; Customs clearance Team – clearance@banksandlloyd.com – will handle customs clearance process as to ensure your shipment is cleared and ready for delivery; Deliveries Team – deliveries@banksandlloyd.com – will liaise with you regarding planning your delivery for the date and time suitable with you and will keep an eye on the delivery on the day it is taking place. Splitting into 4 teams gives us resilience against staff sickness as having multiple people in each team allows for flexibility to step in when required to cover the work and continue uninterrupted flow of work. This does mean that your point of contact may change but you can continue sending orders to them but they will be acknowledged and handled by the relevant Team. Concise handovers have been carried out and we are starting this way of working from Monday, 23rd of March. Groupage Department continues as normal – no change to the work flow; Rates Department continues as normal – no change to the work flow. Important external updates:- There has been misleading information circulating regarding UK Ports operations having been affected and we would like to provide clarity that is so much required during this volatile time. UK sea ports have a vital role in maintaining supply chains of the UK, they are therefore recognised as strategical points of national importance to the UK Government. In these unprecedented times, the Government fully recognises how crucial sea port’s role is and will do everything to ensure that supply routes are protected to ensure medical, energy, fuel and the food provisions remain available to all citizens throughout what is likely to be a sustained period of crisis. As an example, provided by Peel Ports (Port of Liverpool), 100% of blood plasma and inhalers are imported through the Port of Liverpool, both of which are essential to support the NHS. All UK Ports remain fully operational and will do everything to ensure they remain open throughout the crisis. We want to inform you that transit times may be lengthened on certain routes/modes of transport. Some of the reasons to this is movement of trailer traffic to rail and congestion building at origin rail terminals. Certain carriers are looking to reposition the equipment due to some shortages and there may be imbalance surcharges being applicable. You will always be advised of any surcharges being applicable before you book the shipment with us, as to enable you to make a decision on the best option available. We are working with our extensive haulier network to minimise any negative impact COVID-19 may have to your deliveries. We understand that the welfare of site staff is of upmost importance and that new site regulations may be introduced which can be site specific. Our hauliers have all been advised that drivers may be asked to stay in the cab whilst the loading/offloading of goods is taking place, that the site staff may no longer be authorised to sign physical POD’s or E-PODS or be asked to fill out questionnaires regarding recent travel. Please note this does not imply that damage/shortage claims will be accepted – as any shortages or damages must be noted on the POD or E-POD in order to satisfy insurance liability rules. Delivery sites should therefore have contingencies in place for damages and shortages to be noted on the delivery paperwork/E-POD. There is highly important regulation that we would like to stress at this point. Notices from Public Health England and the UK Health & Safety Executive urge delivery sites to continue to allow access to the drivers to washroom facilities. Both the WHO and UK Government advise that the washing of hands is a vital part of stemming the spread of the virus and is a legal requirement. You can view further information below in regards to the bulletin from HSE – https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/drivers-transport-delivery-coronavirus.htm At this difficult time, we kindly ask for your cooperation If delivery sites are unable to adhere to these requirements, deliveries may be redirected to third party sites for offload and additional charges relating to delivery diversion or rejection, for these reasons, will be incurred and charged back. As you will appreciate, there remains significant uncertainty as to how the crisis will develop and we will be keeping our own response under constant review to ensure it remains relevant and adequate to the ever-changing circumstances. It is the time for us all to be strong and for us all to realise that we will come through this stronger, better, and more resilient. 13/03/2020 Banks & Lloyd Shipping are closely monitoring the global COVID-19 situation as part of our strong commitment to ensure the safety of our employees in both the UK & Spain whilst working towards mitigating any possible impact to our customers’ operations and supply chain. We have got a strict contingency protocol developed and in place that applies to both internal and external levels and are doing our utmost to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on our customer’s supply chain. Our protocol includes but is not limited to Strict management of hygiene procedures and implementation of additional hygienic equipment on site Safeguarding the staff through drastic reduction of unnecessary travel along with clear advice being given to all employees Robust operational structure as to be able to cope with a potential reduction in head count Strong capacity to support remote working, if necessary Intensive communication lines open with all shipping suppliers at all times Consistent monitoring of global situation and it’s possible impact on supply chains Dedicated team set up to constantly search for alternative solutions as to preempt any issues that may arise is this unpredictable, ever changing environment We remain fully operational and have a strong resilience structure in place to deal with the ongoing challenges. We have created a dedicated email address for any COVID-19 impact questions to be sent to – impact@banksandlloyd.com (or by using the form below) We are committed to supporting all our customers in the best possible way throughout these challenging times Name Company Name Email Message Send Contact Us quotes@banksandlloyd.com groupage@banksandlloyd.com info@banksandlloyd.com +44(0)1625 441 200 Recent Posts Haulage Crisis – Managing The Unmanageable UK Truck Driver Shortage Worsening Container Ship Blocking Suez Canal Freed! Container Ship Ever Given Blocks Suez Canal Valencia Port Strike Update – Called Off Proud Associations 2021 BANKS & LLOYD (SHIPPING) LTD | UK FREIGHT FORWARDERS | SHIPPING & LOGISTICS PRIVACY POLICY CAREERS GET IN TOUCH We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT