Update on French Strikes
The French Strikes have heavily impacted the movement of our containers this week. Team Elenteny has rerouted a number of containers to ensure on-time delivery to destination ports. The cost of rerouting the first tranche of containers will be borne by Elenteny as we needed to move quickly to ensure the best outcome for our customers.
The Strike action, however, will have far-reaching effects over the coming months.
From today, customers will be given the option to remain with their original port of departure or elect to have containers rerouted to Antwerp to secure a potentially quicker route to the USA. If you have active orders Team Elenteny will reach out in a separate email to discuss options.
At this time, Elenteny will not be booking containers through the Port of LeHarve until the Strike action has ended.
Tariff Update: Trump Threatens 200% Tariffs
As of this morning (via Truth Social), President Trump, in response to the EU 50% tariff on American whiskey, threatened a 200% Tariff on all wines, champagnes, and alcoholic products coming out of France and other EU countries.
Information about the state of Trump administration tariffs is changing almost daily at this time. The stop/start approach has left many uncertain about how the tariffs will impact the Alcohol and Beverage industry in both the short and longer term.
Over the course of the last month, we have seen tariffs imposed and then swiftly changed with retaliatory actions in Canada and Mexico changing the landscape of tariff amounts.
Team Elenteny is working to provide clarity to our customers regarding the status of their current orders insofar as current shipping timeframes, future loadings, and the options for return should tariffs be confirmed over the coming days.
Catalogued here is the latest available reporting on tariffs.
Trump threatens 200% wine tariff if EU does not relent on whiskey | Reuters
Trump Threatens 200 Percent Tariff on Champagne and Wine From Europe | NY Times (paywalled)
Europe Economy We ‘must act’: Europe retaliates against Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports | cnbc
Trump threatens mega 200 percent tariff on EU wines and spirits | Politico
Distilled Spirits Council CEO warns European whiskey tariff could be ‘very, very devastating’ | The Hill
Distilled Spirits Council President and CEO Chris Swonger Statement in Response to the EU’s Announcement to Reimpose Tariffs on American Whiskey | DSC
ILA – USMA Contract Signed
On 11 March, delegates from the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) signed the six-year Master Contract agreement. The contract features a 62% wage increase and covers workers at 36 ports including New York and New Jersey expiring in 2030.
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