Colleagues & Warehousing
Firstly I would like to reassure all colleagues and customers that our partner office in Yokohama has been unaffected by the recent devastating earthquake. All employees are accounted for and no serious injuries have been experienced.
That said, there has been major devastation and some disruptions will be experienced.
Shipping Matters
All ports south of Tokyo including Yokohama are open and operational.
Some Terminals in Tokyo currently are closed for inspection of Terminal facilities and equipment. Port cranes had been damaged with repair works currently underway. Further information and opening date to be advised by Terminal Operators.
The port of Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture) and other feeder out-ports in that area most affected by the tsunami / earthquake are closed until further notice.
At this point of time we do not expect any vessel diversions, however, schedule delays are possible and we will keep you informed about any schedule changes.
Booking acceptance:
Booking acceptance for shipments from / to the port of Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture) and other ports in the affected region (Hachinohe, Ofunato, Onahama and Hitachinaka) has been suspended with immediate effect and until further notice.
Acceptance of booking from / to all other Japanese ports serviced not impacted to our best knowledge and continue as usual at this point of time.
Last but not least please be advised that our Tokyo office currently is only manned with skeleton staff with public transportation being interrupted. Also colleagues are occupied with assessing and managing the current difficult situation. For that reason we appreciate your help to only address urgent matters with our Tokyo office at this point of time while trying to resolve questions with the Regional departments first.
Should you have any questions or queries regarding shipments to / from Japan, please call the UK office in the first instance for assistance on +44 1842 816600 or email shipping@abels.co.uk