The possible strikes in Norway have been cancelled. We therefore operate to and from Norway as usual.
16-1-24
It is still unsafe to sail through the Red Sea, and many container carriers appear to have adopted the new normal of navigating south of Africa. The extended route naturally impacts transfer times, but at FREJA, we are closely monitoring the Estimated Time of Arrivals (ETAs).
Given the situation in the Red Sea and the upcoming Chinese New Year, we recommend that our customers book well in advance to prevent potential delays. We offer sea-air services, and we are in close dialogue with our customers to find the right solutions that meet their needs during these challenging periods.
Feel free to contact your local representative at FREJA to learn more about our sea-air solutions.
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8-1-24
There are still tensions in the Red Sea, and many container carriers have suspended their vessels or redirected them to sail around Cape of Good Hope.
The Red Sea crisis had resulted in various challenges within the sea freight market, including longer transit times, additional surcharges and increased freight rates. These challenges affect the supply chains due to the unpredictable market conditions.
Moreover, with the Chinese New Year approaching, factories typically close not only during the holiday but also both before and after it. Therefore, we recommend our customers to book well in advance in this period to avoid delays or disruptions in their supply chains.
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2-1-24
The new year has begun, and the ongoing uncertainty persists due to the risks in the Red Sea. Additional attacks have been reported, and the decision of whether or not to use the Red Sea passage is up to the individual container carrier.
The latest update regarding surcharges remains valid – PSS and CAC (Contingency Adjustment Charge) have been applied since the 1st of January, leading to an increase in prices.
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21-12-23
We have been notified that container carriers will be implementing a Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) effective from the 1st of January, 2024, impacting your shipments.
Please note that PSS details may vary among different carriers. FREJA will ensure to inform you about how this will affect your shipping costs.
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19-12-23
Over the past weeks, several commercial vessels have been attacked by drones and missiles in the Red Sea. Consequently, many container carriers are rerouting their vessels from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to ensure the safety of their crews, vessels, and cargo.
Several container carriers have already informed us that they are sailing around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, as this is the only viable alternative. We anticipate that more will follow suit. However, the effects are longer transit times as the route is approximately 4,000 nautical miles longer, which equals approximately 7,300 kilometers.
The consequences of this are delays of 2-4 weeks and potentially increased costs for customers – although this is not yet confirmed. At FREJA, we support the container carriers' decisions, considering safety's crucial role in this situation. However, we regret any inconvenience this might cause for our customers.
Please reach out to your local contact at FREJA if you have any questions regarding this matter.
We are closely monitoring the situation and will ensure to keep you updated.
We appreciate your understanding.
27.11. The national Post labor dispute has been settled and the strike will end immediately. Due to the end of the postal strike also the subsidy strikes and other supporting actions have also been canceled.
26.11.2019 news about rail traffic updated
25.11.2019 news updated completely
New supporting actions for the on-going national postal strike in Finland. Below you will find information on the effects of strikes on road, sea and air transport. If you have any questions regarding your transportation, please contact your own contact person. Contact details for FREJA Finland employees can be found here.
This post will be updated when new information is available. Links to related information can be found at the end of the text.
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The Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU has been on strike since 11th November. The strike covers now mail delivery, handling, transportation jobs, parcel sorting and clerical and shop workers. If no agreement is reached, the strike will continue until the 22nd of December.
Supporting actions
The Finnish Aviation Union IAU have already stopped handling mail at all airports.
On Monday IAU members on airline operations (ground services, cargo, security) will go on a sympathy strike at 6 am. The sympathy strike will end on Tuesday morning. Finnair has cancelled around 300 flights. Read more from Finavia.
Transport Workers’ Union AKT
Members of the Automotive and Transport Workers' Association AKT refrain from working for Posti Kuljetus Oy.
During the supporting actions, members of the Automotive and Transport Workers' Association (AKT) are prohibited from overtime and shift changes.
Overtime and shift-trading ban applies to collective labor agreements in the truck, bus, terminal, service, garage, truck, food and oil tanker (tanker only) sectors, the tanker and petroleum product industry and related activities, stevedoring, freight forwarding warehouse terminal and port workers, cabin crew, travel agency, Airpro Oy and Avainta Oy.
On Monday 25th November Helsinki Region Traffic drivers are on strike and the strike also concerns the drivers of Koiviston Auto, who are members of the JHL.
On Thursday 28th November stevedores stoppage
The stevedores stoppage at the ports will begin on Thursday 28th November of at 6 am and will end on Saturday, November 30th at 6 am.
All these industrial actions will continue, if the work stoppages of the Union of Post and Logistics Union PAU continue.
Finnish Seafarers´ Union FSU
From Monday 18th of November starting 6 am all Posti transports and packages will be left in port. From Thursday 21st of November starting at 6 am foreign traffic has been halted by not admitting any trucks, tanker trucks, trailers, or similar vehicles onto the car decks. Passenger cars and buses may be transported on car decks.
Those members of the Finnish Seafarers’ Union working on the icebreakers in icebreaking related tasks will not follow the vessels out to sea.
Monday 25th of November starting at 6 am all cargo-, ropax-, and passenger vessels in foreign traffic and sailing under the Finnish flag or arriving at a port in Finland after 6 am will remain in port, and no member of the Finnish Seafarers’ Union will follow the vessels out to sea. They will, however, carry out their normal work duties when the vessels are in port.
The Finnish Seafarers´ Union’s supporting actions will continue until a resolution is reached by “Posti” and PAU, representing “Posti” employees, unless otherwise is announced later.
Finnlines
On Thursday 21st of November at 9 am MS Finnlady arrived in Helsinki and unloaded both the freight and the passengers, but she loaded only passengers and their vehicles in the afternoon.
The loading in Travemünde will be according to schedule, and the arrival in Helsinki according to the provisional plan. In Helsinki both the freight and passengers will be unloaded.
There has not been sailing from Helsinki to Travemünde on Sunday 24th of November. Starting today on Monday, ropax vessels arriving in Finnish ports will only unload the freight and passengers and remain in port thereafter. Ro-ro vessels arriving on Sunday will only be unloaded on Monday 25th of November due to the overtime ban of stevedores. The vessels arriving later will be unloaded and remain in port thereafter.
In Naantali-Kapellskär traffic the vessels were unloaded on Thursday 21st of November in both Naantali and Kapellskär. Thereafter the service is continued with one vessel until Sunday 24th of November.
There will be no departures from either side starting Monday 25th of November as long as the supporting actions continue.
Viking Line
Viking Line vessels will take freight on-board in Sweden but won’t be able to load the Finnish‐flagged vessels in Finland. Viking XPRS will transport cargo normally on the route Helsinki-Tallinn during the sympathy strike.
On Monday 25th of November at 6 am, the strikes effects will expand to routes Stockholm-Helsinki, Stockholm-Turku and Kapellskär-Mariehamn. Read more from Viking Line Cargo.
Tallink Silja Line
The sympathy strike will affect the Finnish flagged vessels Silja Serenade (Helsinki-Stockholm line) and Baltic Princess (Turku-Stockholm line) and this means that Tallink Silja Line cannot load or unload any cargo units on these vessels starting from this day, Thursday 21st. First departure affected is on Thursday from Stockholm to Helsinki on Silja Serenade departure at 16:45.
Handling units cannot be accepted on Sunday but on Saturday they can be accepted in Helsinki West and South harbor. No handling units can be accepted in Turku harbor, neither on departure Friday evening from Stockholm to Turku.
Handling units can be accepted on Star and Megastar on Tallinn-Helsinki line, as well as on Silja Symphony in the Friday evening on Stockholm-Helsinki line, and in the Saturday evening on Helsinki-Stockholm line.
From Sunday no handling units on any of vessels in Finnish Harbors.
Cargo units with own driver can be accepted on all departures between Estonia and Finland, on Silja Symphony on Helsinki-Stockholm line and Galaxy on Turku-Stockholm line.
Rail traffic
RAU, the union representing rail workers, has announced supporting actions. Clerical workers VR and Traffic Management Finland (Finrail) will embark on a 24-hour sympathy strike starting Friday 29 November. The personnel involved in the strike perform duties such as customer service for passenger and freight traffic, freight traffic management, traffic planners as well as fault reporting and resolution.
The industrial action will halt urban rail traffic in southern Finland for 24 hours from 3 am on 2 December. It will stop traffic in the Helsinki Regional Transport region as well as southern Finland.
Intercity and freight rail traffic will then stop operating from 3am on 3 December until 4 December. The solidarity strike will not affect Allegro train services to Russia, the union said.
Another 24-hour work stoppage is due to take place from 9 December. All rail traffic will come to a complete halt on 9 December.
Links to related information:
30-1-24
On Monday 29 January and again today 30 January, we have experienced blockades around Hamburg, where farmers block tracks on motorways as well as entrances and exits. We expect that we will experience more spontaneous blockades at hubs during week 5. Delays may therefore occur both for distribution in Germany and for shipments transiting through Germany.
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10-1-24
The ongoing strike continues, with German farmers and certain hauliers blocking roads, highway entrances, and borders.
Delays may occur and can potentially impact transit times into week 3.
We apologize for any inconvenience this strike may cause our customers.
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8-1-24
Today there are strikes all over Germany as a result of dissatisfaction from farmers, drivers, locomotive drivers, etc. due to new legal interventions in Germany.
All transportation in Germany is affected by this. Therefore, we expect delays today and the rest of the week.
Please contact your ordinary contact person in FREJA for further information.
In connection with the ongoing collective bargaining in Finland, a large strike is expected to take place in the country on February 2nd, 2018. This involves dock works and may therefore cause delays to the ferry traffic to and from Finland this coming weekend.
We apologize for any inconveniences this might cause. Please call your normal FREJA contact person for more information.
We have received warnings of strikes in Italy in week 44, 2017. It involves unions and members including warehouse staff and drivers. Rumour has it that strikes will take place Monday and Tuesday in week 44 and in addition, Wednesday 1st November is a holiday in Italy and in other Catholic countries/regions in Europe.
In this connection, we expect substantial delays, which may continue into the following weeks.
If you have any questions please contact your normal FREJA contact person for further information.
We have received warning of strikes in Finland from October 8th till October 28th. We do not know which consequences this will have on our traffic, but we predict it might cause delays.
For further information, please contact our traffic departments.
We have received warning about two stages of changes regarding German road tax in 2018 and 2019.
1. In July 2018 an addition of 40,000 km road will be imposed by road tax
2. In January 2019 the present road tax will be adjusted to new and yet unknown rates
Today, Germany has about 15,000 km taxed roads - the so-called “Autobahnen” and “Schnellstrassen”. According to information sent out from the German authorities, an addition of 40,000 roads will be imposed by road tax, which in practice are all Bundesstrassen in Germany. Therefore, as of 1st July 2018 Germany will have a total of 55,000 km taxed roads.
In addition, we have been informed that the present rates will be adjusted. This is expected to have effected on 1st January 2019 with a validity to 2022.
These changes will have large consequences and will affect all transports in Germany as well as transit through Germany.
We do not yet know by 100 % security whether the dates mentioned above will be respected or changed and we have not yet calculated on the consequences hereof.
As soon as we have concrete dates and rates, we will be able to calculate the consequences and we will give more information.
Today marks one year since our new and modern terminal and logistics center in Jönköping, Sweden, opened!
Niclas Andersson, Head of Logistics at FREJA Sweden, says: "Over the past year, we have been very busy moving and settling into our new environment and routines, but we’ve enjoyed every step of the way. We are very proud of our comprehensive logistics setup in Jönköping, as we can offer customized solutions and top-notch service to our customers."
Jönköping's strategic and accessible location allows FREJA to offer cost-effective solutions and act as a flexible partner in the supply chain. We cater to all types of customers, providing services like storage, customs handling, private deliveries, and pick & pack, among others. The possibilities here are endless.
If you want to know more about our logistics solutions, please find more information on our website or feel free to contact your local FREJA representative or Niclas Andersson.
Niclas Andersson
Head of Logistics Sweden & Branch Manager
+46 36 18 13 60
+46 76 308 89 60
nia@freja.com