As the prospect of a return to pre-Covid rate levels recedes ever further, relentlessly high airfreight pricing is prompting more and more shippers to look for alternatives.
Forwarders are being tasked to understand their supply chains better and come up with creative solutions.
But they and shippers see no sign of pricing descending from the stratosphere any time soon.
“It will be some time before we return to pre-Covid rate levels,” said Jeff …
The post More modal shift as shippers and...
Shippers and forwarders hunting capacity on Asia-Europe trades have been advised to focus on overland routes, as available ocean and air freight capacity hits all-time lows.
During the Journal of Commerce Container Trade Europe webinar yesterday, DHL Global Forwarding head of ocean freight Europe Markus Panhauser, said with capacity on China-Europe rail services also near full capacity, shippers should consider using overland trucking instead, which was proving to be faster than …
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https://theloadstar.com/look-to-trucks-as-china-europe-rail-hits-delays-and-capacity-is-squeezed/
“Hell on the high seas” has triggered a new rise in air freight rates after a period of relative stability, say forwarders.
One forwarder called the shipping lines “abusive”, with a strategy that is sending shippers back to air freight.
“It’s getting worse. Carriers are failing, neglecting customers, providing a sub-acceptable service and yet increasing rates daily. At least the air freight sector is not being this abusive.”
One Shanghai forwarder, who said …
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DSV’s new intercontinental road bridge between China and Europe aims to take pressure off air freight and increasingly busy rail services – but offers less environmental benefits than rail.
Transit times are between 14 and 18 days, on trucks that are equipped with GPS tracking.
DSV told The Loadstar that, while it was unable as yet to provide figures on potential capacity, it had “a lot available” for the DSV Silkway Express, …
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Air freight has lost market share to ocean, a pattern common during downturns, but rare at the start of an economic upturn, said IATA today.
It notes that cheaper, slower sea freight becomes more attractive to shippers at the bottom of the cycle, but that air cargo rebounds when businesses need to rapidly refill inventories – but this has not happened.
As sea freight sees some of its highest prices, container lines …
The post Capacity-constrained air cargo may be hit hard by peak season modal...
https://theloadstar.com/capacity-constrained-air-cargo-may-be-hit-hard-by-peak-season-modal-shift/
Next month Russian Railways subsidiary JSC and Belintertrans-Germany (BIT-Germany) launch a multimodal sea-rail service from Altynkol on the Chinese border, via Kaliningrad, to Hamburg.
Pilot shipments this month and last saw a transit time from Chongqing to Hamburg of 12-14 days. The initiative has already welcomed confirmations from DHL, and from ITLG for goods from Xi’an.
The new service will see two trains a day leave for Hamburg, with technology synchronising them …
The post Another new...
https://theloadstar.com/another-new-china-europe-multimodal-sea-rail-service-launches-next-month/
According to a Loadstar article, while the air freight industry may be wary of the surge in growth of Asia-Europe rail services, more customers are moving there from sea freight, according to one forwarder.
https://mfame.guru/blank-sailings-troubled-shippers-move-towards-rail-freight/
While the air freight industry may be wary of the surge in growth of Asia-Europe rail services, more customers are moving there from sea freight, according to one forwarder.
Container traffic from China to Europe via rail grew 34% in the first half of this year, with a 72% rise year on year in June alone.
Exports to China are also gathering pace, albeit from a lower starting point, up 58% in …
The post Blanked sailings and soaring air rates push shippers to China-Europe rail appeared first on The...
https://theloadstar.com/blanked-sailings-and-soaring-air-rates-push-shippers-to-china-europe-rail/
Strong customer demand has forced Maersk to remove its Maersk Spot product from some departures.
Maersk Spot offers a loading guarantee, online booking and a fixed price and forwarders reported it had been disabled, with “Maersk unable to get the bookings away on westbound,” said one.
“Even if you want to pay, you can’t play!”
A spokesperson for Maersk told The Loadstar: “We can confirm that we have taken the Maersk Spot product off the …
The post Demand puts pressure on Maersk Spot, but...
https://theloadstar.com/demand-puts-pressure-on-maersk-spot-but-ocean-rail-service-now-permanent/
This week saw the first China-Europe rail service go onwards from Dartford into the UK, to Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester.
Davies Turner, the only forwarder offering a weekly LCL service to the UK, has expanded the service in line with volume growth.
“It’s a very successful route,” said Tony Cole, head of supply chain services. “It’s now three 40ft consoles a week.
“It’s going to our own depots by rail now, where it …
The post China-Europe rail service expands through UK as volumes double...
https://theloadstar.com/china-europe-rail-service-expands-through-uk-as-volumes-double/