Congestion indigestion

Ports around the globe brace for massive post-Suez cargo logjams

As much as 1.9m teu of cargo is expected to be caught up in the Suez Canal-driven supply chain congestion shortly to engulf many of the world’s largest container ports.
According to new data from supply chain visibility platform Project44, the recent canal blockage has led to a cumulative delay to shipping fleets of 1,072 days.
And the largest ports are expected to bear the brunt of a short-term surge in ship …

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Market insight: Frustration boils over in the bunker

The bunker mentality in logistics is awful.
Indeed 
Far from being educational, perhaps instead only mildly reflective, if anything, this column today is a mere representation of the informal feedback received from the corporate side and our private circles.
Taking a breather from the numbers, the insights and the like, the classic “do not shoot the messenger” applies.
But also, “if they talk about it, we talk about it” – and if they don’t …

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FMC launches probe into unfair carrier demurrage and detention charges

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is planning to help shippers “get their money back” from “unreasonable” demurrage and detention (D&D) charges.
In November, the FMC launched an investigation into shipping lines’ role in the country’s port congestion, including D&D charges, empty container returns and the practice by some of declining agricultural exports in favour of repositioning empties to Asia.
FMC commissioner Rebecca Dye is leading the investigation into possible violations of …

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The lull before the ‘post-Suez storm’ of vessel arrivals at North Europe ports

The main container ports in North Europe were eerily quiet at the weekend, due to the almost week-long blockage of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given.
But now, an armada of late-running ULCVs is enroute from the Mediterranean, providing an intense challenge for vessel operators to turn ships around as quickly as possible and return them, as well as desperately needed empty equipment, back to Asia.
For example, the 19,273 teu Cosco …

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Specialist salvors on their way as more vessels queue behind Ever Given

Salvage teams from the Netherlands and Japan are on their way to the stricken 20,388 teu Ever Given, which is still stuck fast in the Suez Canal, blocking the vital shipping artery.
Evergreen said today Japanese shipowner Shoei Kisen Kaisha had appointed Dutch specialist Smit Salvage and compatriot Nippon Salvage to re-float the vessel after two days of unsuccessful attempts involving all available tugs and equipment at the disposal of the …

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Chittagong port demands importers clear dangerous goods stored in its yards

Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is set to quadruple storage charges for dangerous goods (DG) containers.
The aim is to encourage DG importers to clear their cargo while the port deals with rising volumes of hazardous materials.
The authority yesterday issued a notification asking importers and clearing and forwarding agents to take delivery of their DG cargo or face a penalty set to come into force on 1 April, following growing concern …

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Congestion hits Auckland, posing a ‘multi-million dollar’ problem for shippers

Delays at the New Zealand port of Auckland have become a “multi-million dollar problem” for the nation’s shippers.
Rocketing demand for containers, staff shortages and a half-finished automation programme have combined to create a “perfect storm” of delays, exporters say.
Local reports claim Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) is only using a third of its crane capacity and has been unable to fully use its new automated straddle carriers, because overseas engineers …

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Tech solutions are plugging in to help ease widening congestion at global ports

As shipping’s port congestion crisis widens, tech-players are hoping to capitalise on calls for improved visibility across container supply chains.
SeaIntelligence’s Lars Jensen noted the lack of any real-time overview of global bottlenecks, as pockets of congestion spring up from Auckland to Singapore to Los Angeles.
“Instead, it is drip-wise in terms of each individual port,” he explained. “Sometimes you can only get the info from a carrier calling at the port/terminal, …

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‘Chicken-and-egg effect’ adding pressure on already stressed US importers

The financial cost to major shippers of the twin supply chain challenges of container shortages and port congestion are becoming increasingly apparent as BCOs begin to report quarterly figures.
On Friday, US footwear and apparel giant Nike released its third-quarter results – covering its operating performance from December to the end of February – which revealed quarterly revenue in North America down 11% year on year.
This was a result of “container …

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Against the odds: On the waterfront

Don’t be silly, of course, the shipping lines are not a cartel.
And then the central governments and the stevedores are the nice guys in our supply chain plot, fully supportive of a shipper’s business.
Although this is a really Australian-centric story, the narrative is strikingly similar all around the world. Hint: I can feel a shipping line congestion charge coming on, just in time for the American summer…
On the Waterfront
The 1954 Academy …

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