While The House of Representatives passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act this week, to overhaul regulation of the container shipping industry, its focus on detention and demurrage billing and the container lines’ responsibility to load exports, will have little impact on import congestion, or record sea freight rates. Carriers may leave India even as GRI’s …
Global sea freight operations have struggled with disruptions since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic over two years ago, and this has continued into 2022, with a peak shipping season this summer that is likely to be very chaotic. China’s zero-COVID strategy lockdowns have slowed supply chains and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has effectively ripped …
As COVID lockdown measures are gradually relaxed in Shanghai it is uncertain how quickly export sea freight volumes will rebound, but many experts are anticipating a strong and sustained spike in demand creating a backlog of shipping containers, which could once again result in ocean shipments diverting and putting pressure on air freight, which is already experiencing reduced …
Shanghai is aiming to reopen the city and business operations, with normal life resuming from the 1st June, as all 16 city districts report acceptably reduced ‘zero-COVID’ cases. At a press briefing on Monday, Shanghai’s Vice Mayor announced that 15 of Shanghai’s 16 districts had recorded no new COVID-19 infections for two consecutive days, with all of the city’s …
As the country prepares to celebrate the Queen’s record-breaking reign, with an extended bank holiday, we consider the potential penalty traps waiting to catch out the unwary shipper during the break and how you can avoid demurrage, detention and port charges. Shipping lines and ports levy time-based charges, to encourage swift return of containers and to penalise …
Across the major shipping trade lanes a total of 56 sailings have been blanked over the next four weeks – so far – representing an 8% cancellation rate. The halting of factory production, following the continuing lockdown in Shanghai, is resulting in a drop in export bookings from China, the ‘worlds factory’, of up to 40%, while …
Despite talk of restarting manufacturing and a tiered reopening of Shanghai and the surrounding province, the situation remains challenging and delays are increasing in Ningbo as the volume of cargo diverted from Shanghai continues to grow. The Shanghai lockdown remains for a fifth week, with offices, workplaces, and public transport closed. Airport and container terminals remain …
As Shanghai enters the fourth week of an indefinite lockdown, container shipping lines are skipping calls at main Shanghai terminals, with more blank sailings anticipated as vessels waiting at Chinese ports double. Until the lockdown situation is resolved, which appears challenging when putting the Omicron variant against zero-tolerance, we expect drops in export demand, port …
China’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, expanding 4.8%, but the risk of a sharp slowdown over coming months has risen as Shanghai’s lockdown is extended indefinitely and further COVID-19 curbs may follow. Nearly all of Shanghai is now under lockdown, with most residents unable leave their homes, even for food, while …
Reacting to fears of labour disputes and disruption at west coast ports, many US importers diverted cargo from Asia to the east coast – only to find that Atlantic congestion may be worse than on the Pacific. Importers on the west coast are getting their cargo quicker than their peers on the Pacific coast, with …