Zambia Freight Forwarding Services
Air & Sea Freight Between Zambia and the UK

Cargo boycott threat by Indian brokers over empty-box fee hikes

A new storm of stakeholder disputes, and potential operational disruption, is brewing across Indian ports over policy changes by container lines on empty-container handling and associated depot charges. The loading and unloading of empty boxes at yards is the flashpoint for discontent and disagreement between supply chain intermediaries and carriers. Maersk, for example, has substantially raised its lift-on/lift-off (lo-lo) charges for empties moving via Mundra, India's busiest container port and the primary gateway for the hinterlands around Delhi. The revision, implemented from 1 November, effectively more than doubled the rates shippers had been charged, from $23 to $51 per 20ft empty box, and from $31 to $67 per 40ft, plus local taxes. "Customers are requested to take notice of this change and make the necessary arrangements to ensure smooth container pick-up and drop-off operations," Maersk told customers. Additionally, the carrier advised them to settle the charges directly with nominated depot service providers, an issue that had already become contentious at Chennai port. Now the controversy is becoming industry-wide, as sources expect other carriers to issue similar trade notices for their 'empty' operations at Mundra. Ondeed, one liner source told The Loadstar: "We are discussing the matter." At Chennai, MSC seems to be facing the brunt of a trade pushback against the practice of routing empty tariff collections through third-party depot vendors, which cargo agents claim opens the market to an unregulated environment. "MSC has taken the lead in implementing this collection practice in Chennai, following which other shipping lines have initiated similar measures," the Chennai Customs Brokers Association (CCBA) noted. The CCBA claimed the policy shift was fraught with "serious economic and operational implications for cargo agents", as it had seen third-party vendors keep inflating tariffs once taken over. "Allowing third-party vendors to collect additional charges without adequate transparency or accountability would create an open-ended financial burden on the export/import trade, particularly customs brokers," it said. The association also claimed its member agents - an integral part of India's supply chains - were being increasingly 'caught in the middle', with exporters and importers refusing to reimburse the add-ons that had found their way onto final customer bills. Indeed, the CCBA has threatened to boycott MSC shipments if the new practice is not reversed by 15 November, and told The Loadstar: "Our association will follow the same stance in the case of other shipping lines seeking similar depot arrangements." According to sources, some carriers serving JNPA (Nhava Sheva) have also switched to the practice of permitting nominated yards to collect lo-lo charges directly from shippers, despite strong resistance from the cargo-handling community. "Any logistics cost increase ultimately goes straight down to the shipper, making it difficult to explain, or sort out," one forwarder said. "Intermediaries add price mark-ups, an area Indian logistics policymakers have been trying to streamline through reforms," added one industry observer.

Emirates SkyCargo continues North America expansion with Milan-New York flight

Emirates SkyCargo is continuing to expand its presence in North America with a new freighter connection between Milan and New York. The new weekly service between Milan Malpensa and New York JFK will start on 5 December using one of the carrier's 100-tonne-capacity Boeing 777 freighter aircraft. The carrier said the service was being launched to serve growing demand for export capacity from Northern Italy and the Lombardy region. The carrier pointed out that exports from Milan carried by Emirates SkyCargo grew 13% in financial year 2025/26 compared to the previous year and added that New York is the largest air cargo export destination for Italian goods. Meanwhile, overall exports of Italian goods carried by Emirates were up 12% year on year for the 2025/26 financial year. Key export commodities that move by air from Milan include pharmaceuticals, vaccines and clinical trial medication, luxury goods and fashion items, industrial equipment and machine parts, high-end automotives, fresh produce and speciality food products. In the other direction, the carrier reported a 23% increase in the volume of exports it carried from JFK and Newark Liberty airports between financial year 2024/25 and FY 2025/ 26. Key export commodities moving from New York include pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, perishables, e-commerce shipments, machinery and industrial components. Badr Abbas, divisional senior vice president, Emirates SkyCargo, said the new service would also complement its existing passenger services. "Milan is a key air cargo gateway for Italy and Europe, where Emirates SkyCargo currently offers over 500 tonnes of weekly export capacity to global markets, including over 100 tonnes weekly bellyhold capacity on our passenger flights to New York. "The new freighter service adds important maindeck capacity on a vital trade corridor, offering exporters greater access, flexibility and reliability when serving customers in the US. "Exports from the Greater New York region have seen strong growth, reflecting robust demand for reliable access to international markets. "By combining enhanced freighter capacity with our extensive network of freighter and passenger services through Dubai, we are enhancing connectivity for pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, perishables and machinery from the US, while creating faster links to destinations across the Middle East, Asia and beyond." Emirates SkyCargo also operates a once-weekly freighter flight between Milan and Dubai (DWC) to allow connection to other destinations in the Emirates network. North America connections The new service comes as Emirates SkyCargo has been expanding its presence in North America in line with fleet expansion. Emirates SkyCargo has also launched freighter flights in 2026 to Los Angeles (LAX) and Dallas (DFW) while increasing frequencies to Miami (MIA). The expansion follows the delivery of eight new freighter aircraft this year, including seven Boeing 777-F production freighters and one Boeing 777-300ER converted freighter. "This expansion helped power the growth of Emirates SkyCargo's freighter network from over 40 destinations in March 2026 to over 60 destinations by July 2026," the carrier said. Last week, Emirates reported that its cargo volumes were down 1% in the first half of its 2026-2027 financial year, but cargo revenue increased by 50%. The airline said its gains occurred "as the regional conflict reduced available airfreight capacity while concurrently pushing shippers to seek airfreight options due to marine transport disruptions".

Tougher rules for US imports on DDP put pressure on buyers and suppliers

US companies buying goods on Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) terms have been urged to examine who is responsible for their customs declarations, after US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced new requirements for foreign importers of record (IORs). The interim final rule, published in the Federal Register last week takes effect on 5 January, with new conditions for foreign IORs making both formal and informal entries into the US, as well as additional verification responsibilities for licensed customs brokers. Under the rule, a foreign IOR validated under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) programme can make entries itself, or appoint a licensed customs broker that does not have to be CTPAT-validated. A foreign IOR without CTPAT must designate a broker that is both licensed and CTPAT-validated to make the entry or act as IOR. Where the foreign party is not the owner or purchaser of the goods, the designated broker must act as the importer of record. However, the rule also establishes stricter criteria for determining whether a business qualifies as a US IOR. An individual must be a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, while a company must be organised under US law, located in the country, and at least 51% of its beneficial owners must be US citizens or permanent residents who control the business, or who directly own a significant amount of unencumbered US real estate. Licensed customs brokers will have to verify a client's eligibility before declaring it to be a US IOR. They must request and review supporting records, which could include corporate documents, financial statements, and proof of citizenship or permanent residence. Verification records must then be retained for five years. The development follows CargoTrans's recent tariff webinar, which examined the risks associated with DDP arrangements, noted that in theory an overseas supplier typically arranging import clearance and paying duties and taxes, offered the US buyer a seemingly simpler route to receiving goods. But CargoTrans co-CEO Nunzio De Filippis said the new rule made that convenience harder to achieve, adding: "So that easy button that we spoke about just got harder to press." He advised buyers to establish exactly who is responsible for the import process when their overseas supplier sells on DDP terms. "You have to ask them who is the importer record, who is the customs broker, what does that arrangement look like, and does it meet the new requirements?" he said. "Welcome to the age of strengthening customs enforcement," he added. CBP explained the measures were intended to improve visibility of foreign importers, strengthen accountability, and help ensure duties are collected. The agency highlighted difficulties pursuing unpaid duties and enforcing customs requirements against foreign entities with few US assets. Brokers may request delayed compliance with the new verification requirements before 5 January, but all must be fully compliant by 6 May next year. Comments on the interim final rule are due by 5 January. For US buyers, the update means a DDP quotation alone is no guarantee that the underlying import arrangements meet the new requirements. Buyers should establish who is named as the IOR, which broker is filing the entry, and whether the relevant parties satisfy CBPconditions.