Capacity crunch: eastbound angst Archives

More misery for shortage-hit shippers as ocean carriers tighten booking

13 January 2021

Carriers are imposing booking stops around Europe, as well as tightening the time allowed to pick up equipment prior to vessel departure dates.
The moves come as exporters from North Europe to Asia continue to struggle to secure equipment and vessel space.
One UK forwarder source told The Loadstar that, for one client, it had taken him over three weeks of searching in December to find a carrier prepared to offer equipment …

The post More misery for shortage-hit shippers as ocean carriers tighten...

https://theloadstar.com/more-misery-for-shortage-hit-shippers-as-ocean-carriers-tighten-booking/

More box ships skip UK hub ports and forwarders urge EC to intervene

30 November 2020

As carriers continue to leave import containers stranded at North European ports and charge exporters more than $5,000 to ship a box to Asia, the pressure is growing for regulatory intervention.
And UK importers today face major challenges from the decision by Ocean Alliance members to divert five more vessels from Felixstowe to Zeebrugge in December.
An advisory on Friday told UK customers that the Cosco Shipping Azalea, Ever Goods, Ever Globe, CSCL Jupiter and CSCL …

The post More box ships...

https://theloadstar.com/more-box-ships-skip-uk-hub-ports-and-forwarders-urge-ec-to-intervene/

More pain for Asia-Europe shippers as rate hikes and surcharges pile up

27 November 2020

Container spot rates on Asia to North Europe leapt 27% this week to breach $2,000 per teu, with carriers planning further FAK rate hikes for December.
The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) recorded an increase of $447 in its North Europe component, to $2,091 per teu, which is 170% higher than a year ago.
The SCFI rate to Mediterranean ports also saw a big spike, 23%, to $2,219 per teu, representing a …

The post More pain for Asia-Europe shippers as rate hikes and surcharges pile up...

https://theloadstar.com/more-pain-for-asia-europe-shippers-as-rate-hikes-and-surcharges-pile-up/

Europe-Asia ocean rates hit new heights as exporters fight for what space remains

1 May 2020

North European exporters to Asia are paying the price of the extensive headhaul blank sailing programmes of ocean carriers.
Rates are skyrocketing on the route as they scramble for space.
According to the latest assessment by freight rate benchmarking platform Xeneta, short-term 40ft rates from North Europe have hit a high of $2,000, from a low of $500 in January, as shippers “fight for space” on the few export vessels with port …

The post Europe-Asia ocean rates hit new heights as exporters...

https://theloadstar.com/europe-asia-ocean-rates-hit-new-heights-as-exporters-fight-for-what-space-remains/

May Day could be a cry for help from carriers, as another holiday looms

27 April 2020

The five-day May Day holiday shutdown in China is adding to capacity adjustment problems for ocean carriers.
Notwithstanding the 20% of headhaul Asia-North Europe sailings already cancelled next month, carriers are still struggling to best match supply with ever-weakening demand and to avoid the ‘nightmare’ scenario of half-full 20,000 teu ULCVs arriving in North European hub ports in June and July.
A carrier source told The Loadstar last week their biggest fear …

The post May Day could be a cry...

https://theloadstar.com/may-day-could-be-a-cry-for-help-from-carriers-as-another-holiday-looms/

Carriers could find the cost of blanked sailings adding up to $23 billion

6 April 2020

The container shipping industry could lose as much as $23bn this year from reduced demand in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Demand for unitised shipping services is set to nosedive as a result of the economic devastation wrought by large swathes of the world forced into social lockdowns.
Research today from liner analyst SeaIntelligence Consulting reports that the best carriers can hope for this year would be a 10% decline in …

The post Carriers could find the cost of blanked sailings...

https://theloadstar.com/carriers-could-find-the-bill-for-blanked-sailings-adding-up-to-23-billion/

‘Coronavirus impact subsiding rapidly’ as China shipping revives

10 March 2020

While Europe and North America begin to grapple with the alarming spread of coronavirus cases, shipping activity in China appears to be picking up, according to new data from liner consultancy SeaIntelligence.
It says there is now a clear reduction in the number of announced blank sailings by carriers as trucking operations resume in China, leading to increased export cargo arriving at ports and ships are needed to handle the backlog …

The post ‘Coronavirus impact subsiding rapidly’ as China...

https://theloadstar.com/coronavirus-impact-subsiding-rapidly-as-china-shipping-revives/

As China returns to work, box carriers look to rate hikes to help regain losses

6 March 2020

Ocean carriers are preparing for a return to fully booked ships.
The recovery in China’s manufacturing is reported to be up to around 80% of pre-new year levels, and regional transport movements are also getting back up to speed, it seems.
“We have seen many terminals and depots returning to normal operations,” said OOCL. “The reefer plug shortage issue in Shanghai, Tianjin and Ningbo has also gradually improved and more trucking services …

The post As China returns to work, box carriers look to...

https://theloadstar.com/as-china-returns-to-work-box-carriers-look-to-rate-hikes-to-help-regain-losses/

Box carriers’ bill for volumes lost to coronavirus nearing $2bn

3 March 2020

The financial cost of the coronavirus outbreak to container lines is now approaching the $2bn mark, according to new research from SeaIntelligence Consulting.
Up to the beginning of this month, the Copenhagen-headquartered analyst estimates that the industry has lost 1.9m teu in volumes since the onset of the crisis, which dampened demand due to the widespread closure of factories in China.
“At a rough average freight rate of $1,000 per teu, this …

The post Box carriers’ bill for volumes lost to...

https://theloadstar.com/box-carriers-bill-for-volumes-lost-to-coronavirus-nearing-2bn/

Historic capacity crunch looms as more Europe-Asia sailings are blanked

2 March 2020

Freight forwarders sending goods out of Europe to Asia face one of the tightest capacity crunches in living memory over the next few weeks.
CMA CGM is set to blank 23 North Europe-Asia sailings from now until 2 June, after last week announcing three further deepsea sailings in the middle of this month had been cancelled, “due to recent demand slowdown in the context of the coronavirus situation”.
This month alone, 15 …

The post Historic capacity crunch looms as more Europe-Asia sailings are...

https://theloadstar.com/historic-capacity-crunch-looms-as-more-europe-asia-sailings-are-blanked/

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