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Since the last edition of Service without Boundaries, the rates charged by container shipping lines have risen sharply in many trades and we expect them to continue to increase as a severe shortage of boxes leave shippers and the lines battling to cope with robust market demand for
The equipment shortage is spread across all major trades and is biting even as lines deploy extra capacity to accommodate fast rising volumes in the build-up to the peak season.
Of late, we have seen the launch and resumption of new and suspended services, which has increased capacity but not enough to cope with the significant increases in demand in a number of trades.
The reports indicate that the shortage of containers stems from the worst downturn in shipping history. During the recession,
The problems are being exacerbated by the liner practice of slow steaming which is adding to round voyage times and tying up equipment at sea for much longer periods of time. Repatriating empty containers to
We remain concerned at the size of the peak season surcharges (PSS) announced by certain lines on the Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean westbound trades and are making our views on these surcharges known to the lines and will do our utmost to limit their impact on our customers. For further information about the surcharges, or about the U-Freight Group’s oceanfreight services around the world contact your local office.
As an experienced oceanfreight forwarder in the Chinese market, the U-Freight Group will do all we can to mitigate the issues outlined above.