The clearance of containers in ports and customs continues on a rise
Global mobility continues to change, and it is very valuable to keep up to date with the new transit times and delays detected at ports and customs. We are no longer just talking about the impact or restrictions caused by COVID-19; the lack of containers is added, the priority to release essential goods; the conflict between OTAN, Ukraine and Russia, as well as the transit restrictions in Chinese ports due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
What’s going on?
90% of imports worldwide are shipped by sea. It means that most of the products consumed by the global population require ships and ports to be transported from one country to another, and thus reach supermarkets, hospitals, or stores. Same type of transportation is also needed to execute international relocations and to restock the essential products distribution, by sea, air or ground.
What happends now is that the delays due to COVID-19, which caused a shortage of containers, as well as a delay in the completion of customs procedures along with postpone the release and shipment of household goods. Let us remember that, to carry out an international move, firts it is necessary to have a work permit, visa, passport, and other documents, before executing the service. Otherwise, the goods may suffer a delay or retention in the port or customs due to lack of documentation.
Relevant changes to plan international relocations and successfully manage the budget of the assignees
Because of the context, Crown World Mobility in Mexico brought together its group of specialists to share the factors that are impacting the HHG or international moving services. This information will be very useful for those in charge of managing theirs company’s asignees relocations.
Crown World Mobility Mexico informs that the response times of shipping companies range from 3 to 4 weeks, in order to book and dispatch of containers at an international level from Mexico. It is worth mentioning that all reservations are tentative and can be subject to final confirmation. Therefore, freight prices vary from day to day and transit times are affected.
According to the records of the moves that Crown manages in Latin America; Countries such as Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica and Panama have increased their dispatch and transshipment times
Customs clearance in countries like Chile and Costa Rica is taking twice as long, and the country that reports the most delays is Argentina. Customs clearance in Chile used to take between 7 to 10 business days, currently it takes between 15 or up to 20 business days; causing delays due to storage and retention of equipment, equivalent to an increase in movement costs.
Therefore, the accumulation of delays in the household goods transportation process (HHG) directly impacts the international moving service. For this reason, we recommend speeding up immigration procedures first and considering delays and extra expenses that may arise, from the beginning of the planning. Our specialists keep assignees informed at every stage of the process so they know when they will actually receive their belongings abroad.
What is Crown doing to solve the mobility ins and outs for customers?
Crown promptly communicates changes in the movements managed by our mobility advisors from the moment they are quoting with us.
To facilitate the processes of our clients, we offer 1 month of free storage (only in Mexico) in case the packing has been carried out and there is no prompt availability or possibility of dispatching the goods immediately, or, if the assignees have not completed the necessary immigration procedures to complete the shipment of the household goods to the country of destination. This avoids the increase in port charges due to the delays that we have detected. And in case the storage for moves in Mexico (arrival or departure) extends more than 30 days, we apply a discount on our monthly storage fee per cubic meter.
On the other hand, the international insurance policy offered by Crown (Crown Care) covers 60 days at origin and 60 days at destination. When the goods remain stored for more than that time, an extension of the insurance coverage is applied, on a monthly basis and with a lower percentage fee, in order to make the insurance effective from the moving day until unpacking at destination.
It is important to highlight that all freight rates and transit times are detailed based on the current context and are subject to change. The factors that impact the process of an international move are external to Crown globally. However, despite not having any direct involvement, our specialists look for comprehensive solutions to streamline and guarantee a safe process. We inform the assignees and their managers of all the corresponding changes to facilitate and simplify their moves.
Sincerely,
Global Mobility Specialists at Crown World Mobility Mexico