Patrick Fremantle - Changes to Import Container Collections
We would like to make our customers aware of changes to the way import containers are being made available for collection at Patrick Fremantle Terminal.
The changes affect the timing and sequence in which containers can be collected and may mean that a container showing as available at the terminal is not necessarily able to be collected immediately.
Under the revised arrangements, transport operators are required to plan collections through the terminal’s stack allocation process. The location of an individual container within the stack can also depend on the sequence in which containers are discharged from the vessel.
As a result, container availability does not always mean immediate physical access to the container.
What does this mean for your delivery?
There may be occasions where a container cannot be collected in the exact order originally requested, particularly where a number of containers from the same vessel are being worked through the terminal.
Once collected from the terminal, containers may also need to move through the transport operator's yard or staging process before they can be placed onto the vehicle required for final delivery.
This means delivery timing can be influenced by a combination of:
vessel discharge and terminal operations
the position of the container within the terminal stack
transport collection availability
transport yard capacity and handling
delivery vehicle availability.
For customers with time critical deliveries, we strongly recommend providing delivery requirements as early as possible. Advance notice gives our transport providers greater opportunity to plan collections and work around the terminal's operating arrangements.
We also recommend allowing some flexibility around delivery dates where possible, particularly for containers that are subject to tight warehouse, crane or site booking requirements.
What are we doing?
We are working closely with our transport providers to monitor container availability and arrange collections as soon as practical.
Where a container cannot be collected when expected, we will continue to keep you informed and work with the transport provider to secure the earliest available delivery.
These changes are being implemented at the terminal level and apply across the transport industry. They are outside the direct control of End to End Logistics and our transport providers.
Please be aware that terminal and transport delays may affect the time available to collect containers and could result in additional storage or detention costs where applicable. These charges are outside our control and may be passed on to the customer.
We appreciate your understanding while the new arrangements settle in and will continue to do everything we can to minimise the impact on your deliveries.
If you have a time-critical shipment arriving through Patrick Fremantle, please let us know as early as possible so we can factor your delivery requirements into the transport planning.