kaseyko1: I’ve read where Russia, China, Iraq & Iran are pushing hard to get the 2nd basket of currencies pushed through this weekend that would include the Rial. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we see the 1st basket by Friday.
It’s nice to hear that people are exchanging, very encouraging. Weeks ago my attorney made a passing statement that some of his clients did have an appointment for the exchange. So we should be extremely close to our exchange time.
B2Ray2Day: Dang it……… I hope I don’t spend another NEW year with you all… I’m ready 2 Xchange!!!!!!
r2d2: B2. I have family that has exchanged. Be patient.
ify: r2d2 – wow, you know people that have exchanged !!! in what time frame – months, weeks, days ???
r2d2: At least a year ago
ify: how fortunate for them
r2d2: ify, yep ugh! No one more frustrated than me!
GreatDay: r2..that would be frustrating that family exchanged and you’re still waiting đ
r2d2: Great you have no idea! Greed and arrogance sucks! At least u know we are there
GreatDay: That would be so hard! Do you see them often?
r2d2: Every freckling day! Good night. This is very real, be patient folks! I’m trying!
GoodTimes1:Â if Iraq is waiting for the Golden moment sometime it Never comes
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GreatlyBlessed:Â Â Hanjin Shippingâs Troubles Leave $14 Billion in Cargo Stranded at Sea
Owners strive to recover their goods and get them to customers in wake of Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy filings
By COSTAS PARIS and ERICA E. PHILLIPS
Updated Sept. 7, 2016 7:49 p.m. ET
The financial woes of one of the worldâs biggest shipping lines have left as much as $14 billion worth of cargo stranded at sea, sending its owners scurrying to try to recover their goods and get them to customers, according to industry executives, brokers and cargo owners.
Since Hanjin Shipping Co. of South Korea filed for bankruptcy protection there last week, dozens of ships carrying more than half a million cargo containers have been denied access to ports around the world because of uncertainty about who would pay docking fees, container-storage and unloading bills. Some of those ships have been seized by the companyâs creditors.
Samsung Electronics Co., which makes the Galaxy smartphone and other devices, said it has cargo valued at about $38 million stranded on Hanjin ships in international waters.
âWeâre passengers on a bus, and weâre being told we canât get off,â Evan Jones, a lawyer for the company, said Tuesday.
Samsung said it is considering chartering 16 cargo planes to fulfill its shipment contracts, mostly to the U.S.
About 95% of the worldâs manufactured goodsâfrom dresses to televisionsâare transported in shipping containers. Though Hanjin accounts for only about 3.2% of global container capacity, the disruption, which comes as retailers prepare to stock their shelves for the holiday season, is expected to be costly, as companies scramble to book their goods on other carriers.
Analysts donât expect the snarl to leave U.S. retailers with inventory shortfalls for the holidays, but the longer the logjam drags on, the greater the risk.
âThis is not impacting store shelves now,â said Nate Herman, a senior vice president for the American Apparel & Footwear Association. âIt will impact store shelves if the situation isnât resolved.â
On Tuesday, the association, which represents manufacturers and retailers, held a conference call with 150 members. âPeople are still trying to figure out how to get their boxes off the boat and move them,â Mr. Herman said.
South Koreaâs biggest shipping line, Hanjin Shipping Co., filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday as falling trade volumes claimed another victim. Shipping is one of the sectors in which South Korea is a global leader, so what does this recent collapse tell us about world trade? Photo: Getty Images
While Hanjin was granted protection by bankruptcy courts in Korea and the U.S., conditions are âbordering chaos,â said Lars Jensen, chief executive of SeaIntelligence Consulting in Copenhagen. âWith so many Hanjin ships barred from entering ports, shippers have no idea when their cargo will be unloaded.â
The courtsâ protection permits Hanjin ships to move in and out of certain terminals in those countries without fear of asset seizures. But shippers and brokers say the rulings donât solve the shipping lineâs problems in the U.S., as it is unclear whether Hanjin will be able to afford to have the ships unloaded once they dock. Moreover, the courtsâ rulings donât necessarily apply to ports in Asia and Europe.
Mr. Jensen said 43 Hanjin ships are en route to scheduled destinations with no guarantees that they will be allowed to unload. An additional 39 are circling or anchored outside ports. Eight ships have been seized by creditors.
As Hanjin ships drift at sea, their crews face increasing uncertainties and diminishing supplies.
âWe usually have food and water for about two weeks,â said the captain of a Hanjin-operated ship speaking by satellite phone from the South China Sea. But, after 12 days at sea, âeverything is getting tightâfood, water and fuel,â he said.
The captain added that he is rationing water and cutting back air conditioning to save energy.
âThe heat is driving the crew crazy,â he said.
His ship was carrying lubricants and home appliances from South Asia to a Chinese port, but last Thursday, he was told to stop, as the ship could be seized at its destination.
Adding to the confusion, shippers and brokers said the Korean government has designated only three so-called base portsâLos Angeles, Singapore and Hamburgâwhere Hanjin vessels can unload shipments without risk of being seized by creditors.
âEven in those ports, we donât know who is going to be paying unloading and docking fees,â a broker in Singapore said. âKorea says it will be Hanjin, but Hanjin is telling us it has no money. Itâs a total mess.â
The Korean Shippers Council, which represents more than 60,000 trading companies, said Wednesday its members âhave not been able to figure out the whereabouts of their freight.â
Brokers said the problems extend to carriers with vessel-sharing deals with Hanjin. They include Chinaâs Cosco Group, Japanâs Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd., and Taiwanâs Evergreen Marine Corp.and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp., which typically move thousands of Hanjin containers daily.
Sanne Manders, chief operating officer at California-based freight forwarder Flexport Inc., said rates on Asia-U.S. cargo have risen 40% to 50% since Monday on all sea lanesânot just those operated by Hanjin.
âThat amounts to easily $600 to $700 per container,â Mr. Manders said. âWe think this period of high prices will be 30 to 45 days,” through the initial peak for Thanksgiving-season shipping, he said.
Freightos, an online marketplace for booking freight shipments, said the average price per container on Asia-U. S. routes rose 56% to $4,423 on Tuesday from $2,835 a week earlier.
Executives with freight-booking platform Shippabo warned that companies should expect delays as many cargo containers have been rerouted on different vessels.
âFor the top 25 importers, this is a blip,â said Frank Layo, a retail strategist at consulting firm Kurt Salmon. âTheyâre diversified, theyâre not shipping it all on one line.â But for smaller retailers with less sophistication, âthis could be devastating,â he said.
The Hong Kong Shippersâ Council said local terminals are charging shippers a special fee of $1,260 per container to allow them off Hanjin ships. Cargo owners said at least 10 other European and Asian ports are charging similar fees.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/billions-in-cargo-remains-stranded-at-sea-1473285117
