ITF-OECD's Report on Performance of Maritime Logistics launch, FIATA Review out now!

FIATA e-flash
15 July 2022

Don't miss the last edition of the FIATA Review magazine!

This FIATA Review is a FIATA HQ Meeting Special, with highlights of the exciting sessions that taken place, and with special post-event interviews with some of the top experts that were invited to the event.
 
Find out more from FIATA Members in their latest news, from the 2020 Young Logistics Regional winners who presented at the 2022 HQ Meeting, and anticipate the upcoming 2022 FIATA World Congress in Busan in September with key figures and experts behind the World Congress this year.
 
In our new section 'Industry Voices', read from experts on the freight forwarding outlook and statistics of recent months. All of this and more in this July issue of the FIATA Review to keep the freight forwarding actors at the forefront of the industry’s concerns.

Read the July issue of the FIATA Review!

ITF-OECD's Report on Performance of Maritime Logistics is out!

The much-awaited International Transport Forum (ITF) report on the performance of maritime logistics co-authored by experts, Olaf Merk and Antonella Teodoro (MDS Transmodal), was released on 12 July. FIATA was amongst the various stakeholders, including carriers and ports who participated in discussions informing the contents and review of the report which is a key resource for all forwarders.

The report makes extensive policy recommendations to regulators to enhance monitoring of competition between ocean carriers, ensure transparency of freight rates and as done by the US-FMC, ensure that demurrage and detention charges are properly justified as done in the US-Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022.

Given the upcoming review of the EU Consortia Block Exemption (CBER), it is important for the forwarding community to read this report which notes how effects by regulators in a region can have consequences globally given the nature of the shipping industry.

The document sheds light on the unintended consequences of alliances between shipping lines exempt from competition law rules. Forwarders globally need to actively appeal to regulators to review abuse of dominance and practices like withdrawing and redistributing capacity to increase freight rates. This includes considering the legality of such joint capacity management which has exceeded the 30% threshold in 2020 and 2021 in two out of the three major alliances as pointed out in this report. FIATA will continue to engage with the authors of the report, and help its members participate effectively in future stakeholder inputs on the topic.

FIATA participates in the UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation

On 12 July 2022, FIATA participated as a panellist in the opening session of the Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation, hosted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The panel focused on sustainable and resilient transport and trade facilitation in times of pandemic and beyond. FIATA was joined by fellow panellists from the International Association of Ports and Harbours, the World Trade Organization, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the Union of African Shippers' Councils.

FIATA took the opportunity to remind governments of the key challenges that have come to light in the context of recent crises, and the fundamental shifts in the supply chain. FIATA invited policy makers to consider whether regulatory and policy measures are fit for the new supply chain environment of today, or whether they ought to be reshaped to be fit-for-purpose in the interests of more resilient and sustainable supply chains. In particular, it underlined the importance of developing legislative and infrastructural responses that facilitate multimodality as a crucial and indispensable solution, the need to build on trade facilitation measures through implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, and the need to ensure regulation that fosters a fair and level playing field in the new business environment. Ensuring supply chains can aid, rather than hinder economic and social well-being of all regions around the world requires a shift in approach that fosters inclusivity of all actors in the supply chain. FIATA also provided information on the function and importance of the FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading and its paperless solution.

The session provided the opportunity for an excellent and informative exchange with the governmental representatives present, many of whom underlined the challenges that have been faced in their national contexts. A key outcome of the meeting was a huge interest expressed by a number of representatives in developing a greater understanding of trade facilitation and engaging through national trade facilitation committees. 

2022 FIATA World Congress is around the corner, register now!

FIATA members and logistics professionals are invited to register for the 2022 FIATA World Congress!

The FIATA World Congress will take place from Wednesday 14 September to Friday 16 September, with FIATA Body meetings, exclusively for FIATA members, from Monday 12 September to Tuesday 13 September. Members can also take a look at the preliminary programme to get a feel for what is to come.

The 2022 LOC Team will be happy to help with your sponsoring request! Reach out to their marketing teams at [email protected]. If you are looking for a more global long-term approach with FIATA, and want your firm or entity to provide active support to the global forwarding community in a two-way, long-term, joint development approach, then reach out to the FIATA Events Team at [email protected] to discuss opportunities!

Sign-up now!

Benefit from the new Paperless FIATA Bills of Lading solution

FIATA documents are a mark of quality and integrity, and its brand contributes to the reputation of the international freight forwarding industry. FIATA is pleased that, with the launch of the Paperless FIATA Bill of Lading (FBL), it is now able to offer an even more comprehensive service to its members, who will be able to benefit from the opportunity to distribute both paper and paperless versions of the FBL in order to serve growing industry needs for digital documents. FIATA Association members will continue to play a key role in this new solution, to ensure the compliance requirements are met, thus contributing to the strengthened security and integrity  of the FBL.

It should be noted that the Paperless FBL does not in any way impact on the distribution model of national associations as regards the paper FBLs, and FIATA association members can continue to distribute paper FBLs in parallel in the same manner as they do today.

To learn more about the Paperless FBL and how your association can distribute FIATA documents, please write to [email protected] and [email protected] and the FIATA HQ team will be happy to answer your questions.

Don't forget to let us know where you stand on WTO-TFA implementation

Here's your last chance to take the FIATA survey on the implementation of World Trade Organization (WTO) - Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

If your association has not yet filled the survey, then please share your experiences on the topic by taking the online survey until 25 July 2022! If your association has already filled the survey, no need to filled again, in order to avoid duplication of results. 

Take the survey!

Agenda

Upcoming events:

  • 15 July ¦ Regional Policy Dialogue: Transforming the Logistics Sector (UNESCAP and AITD), New Delhi
  • 15-16 July ¦ Federation of Asia-Pacific Aircargo Associations (FAPAA) 48th Executive Council Meeting
  • 20-22 July ¦ 20th session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy
  • 12 - 16 September ¦ FIATA World Congress