The NZ Shipper’s Council recently held its annual Strategy Day – a full day of discussion and strategic planning around supply chain issues of key importance to members.
The agenda included a meeting with representatives of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy working party for broad discussion about their study, which is of significant interest to Shippers’ Council members who represent some of the country’s largest exporters and importers. The Council is concerned that the views of its members receive due consideration and will make formal comment on the UNISC study when it has had an opportunity to review the working party’s draft report of findings.
Also included in the Strategy Day was consultation with the Ministry of Transport on New Zealand’s potential accession to MARPOL Annex VI; an international treaty for the prevention of air emissions from ships. As has been well publicised, from 1 January 2020, signatories to Annex VI will be required to limit the sulphur content of bunker fuel to a maximum of 0.5%. New Zealand is one of very few IMO member nations that has not yet signed up to the treaty. All of the international shipping lines that service New Zealand’s shippers have already signed and the Shippers’ Council has for some time been tracking the implications for our shippers of this game changing shift in global shipping. The MoT consultation was an opportunity to consider the impacts for the domestic supply chain if the Government chooses to sign up, and if it chooses not to.
Other matters discussed included the potential implications of Brexit Day in March 2019 on freight movement and the need for contingency planning to mitigate the likely knock on congestion effects across European ports, which is of particular concern for exporters of perishables.
The shortage of key transportation workforce, including drivers and stevedores, is also firmly on the Councils’ radar as it is now significantly impacting supply chain efficiency around the country. Members requested the Council take urgent action to raise awareness of this critical skills shortage including seeking reinstatement on the skills shortage list.
New Zealand Shippers’ Council Inc C/- 70 The Terrace Wellington 6011 PO Box 10-007 Wellington 6011
Phone 04 914 1751
A presentation from the 2025 Bio Security Strategy steering group saw Council members back the Shippers’ Council signing up to the Biosecurity 2025 pledge. As part of this the Council will actively engage with all members and affiliates about the business risks of biosecurity and encourage their participation in the programme.
NZSC is steadily growing its representation, with 22 Full Member organisations drawn from across the export and import sectors, and 24 Affiliate members, representing supply chain interests including ports, freight forwarders and transport operators. Recent new members include Ravensdown, The Warehouse Group and Sanfords.
The 2018 Strategy Day meeting followed a successful AGM in August, which included meetings with Ministers Hon Shane Jones and Hon James Shaw, and a trans-Tasman briefing from the Australian Peak Shippers organisation about issues confronting shippers across the Tasman.
Much of the focus of the rest of the AGM revolved around the implications for NZ shippers of the global “green freight agenda”, including industry readiness for the introduction of the IMO’s low sulphur emissions regime on January 1, 2020 and IMO strategies to achieve 50 percent greenhouse gas reduction in shipping emissions by 2050. Members had the opportunity to hear from ICLC regarding the international shipping liner perspective on meeting the sulphur cap regulation, and from Refining NZ on its considerations regarding the production of low sulphur fuel.
For more information:
Simon Beale, Chair, New Zealand Shippers’ Council, Telephone: 021 390578
NZ Shippers’ Council Background
The New Zealand Shippers’ Council represents the supply chain interests of major New Zealand shippers, with members across all sectors including importers, exporters, ports, freight forwarders, road and rail. Collectively members move well over 60% of NZ containerised exports and a significant amount of bulk exports, imports and domestic volume.
For detailed information about the Shippers’ Council refer: www.shipperscouncil.co.nz
