Bulk Distributor Sept/Oct 16 | Page 3

September/October 2016 Shipper BULKDISTRIBUTOR ExxonMobil to expand capacity at Wales plant E xxonMobil has announced plans to expand its specialty elastomers plant in Newport, Wales. The company said the project, expected to be completed in late 2017, will result in a 25% increase in its global capacity to manufacture Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), highperformance elastomers used for automotive, industrial and consumer applications. Kurt Aerts, specialty elastomers and butyl rubber vice president at ExxonMobil Chemical, said: “Our investment in this expansion strengthens our leadership position and reflects our continuing commitment to help customers around the world manufacture high-performance products that require both flexibility and durability.” ExxonMobil’s specialty plants in Newport, Wales, and Pensacola, Florida, supply Santoprene TPV to customers around the world. Manufacturers using Santoprene TPV can reprocess scrap materials and overruns, which yields an environmental benefit through reduced energy use and waste. The lower density of Santoprene TPVs, compared to alternatives, contributes to reduced part weight. New SA stop for Rotterdam S outh Africa Europe Container Service (SAECS) will be adding another call on Rotterdam to its schedule. This will make Rotterdam both the first and last port of call on this route, and will shorten the service’s Rotterdam-South Africa transit times by six days. Under the new schedule, it will now take SAECS’s vessels 18 days to travel to Cape Town. “This is a welcome development,” says the Port of Rotterdam’s Logistics Manager Matthijs van Doorn. “It will make Rotterdam the port with the shortest transit times to South Africa. After Rotterdam, SAECS’s ships only make one more stopover: the Spanish port of Algeciras. This increases reliability. Both aspects are tremendously important to Germany’s automotive and chemical sectors.” SAECS – a collaboration between the shipping companies Safmarine, Mitsui OSK Lines, Deutsche Afrika-Linien and Maersk Line – maintains a scheduled service between Europe and South Africa. On SAECS’s southbound route, Rotterdam is the final port of call in Western Europe before the vessels travel to Africa. And on the itinerary starting in Africa, Rotterdam is the first port of call in Europe. Other ports on SAECS’s schedule include Ngura, Durban and Port Elizabeth in South Africa. In Europe, its vessels call at Bremerhaven and London Gateway. WHAT IF YOU COULD MINIMIZE _____________WHEN YOUR SHIPPING RISK TRANSPORTING _____________? YOUR HAZARDOUS MATERIAL China imposes anti-Zika control on US imports T he General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People’s Republic of China has implemented Zika virus prevention measures that require mandatory anti-mosquito treatment on all China import cargo. The United States was added to the list in August and a total of 55 countries are now required to take anti-mosquito fumigation treatment for the shipments to China. All shipments originating from countries across the Americas, Africa, South East Asia and the Western Pacific, are required to present a Mosquito Eradication Certificate during the customs clearing process. In the event that the fumigation has not been performed at origin, the consignee does have the option of applying for mosquito eradication with the China Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (CIQ) and obtain the Mosquito Eradication Certificate. The service and related fees applied by CIQ for this facility vary by port and location. ACCELERATE YOUR ADVANTAGE ® Find out more at accelerateyouradvantage.com 800.323.7587 | [email protected] © 2016 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3