go to Website
Mediaroom Customers Journalists
Watchlist (0)
back

Sea freight market update | March 2021

The post-Chinese New Year cool down that had been expected has not come to pass. In addition the continuing bottleneck of the North American western ports ties up shipping and equipment capacity enormously. Two weighty reasons stressing the sea freight market, impacting port activities and generating congestion across the global supply chain. Most experts expect this situation to last throughout the second quarter.

Trade Lane Update

Far East – Europe 

  • Westbound space and empty equipment availability (all types of containers) is still tight. After Chinese New Year there has not been a significant drop of cargo and carriers have been facing backlogs.
  • On eastbound routes, space is getting limited due to blank sailings and the equipment situation remains tight. Carriers are implementing surcharges due to equipment imbalances.

Transpacific

  • The space and equipment situation in Asia is extremely short and the complete transpacific eastbound trade is facing rollings and delays due to severe congestion along the U.S. West Coast.
  • Official statistical data shows that less than 20% of the arrivals at the North American west coast ports have been on time since Los Angeles and Long Beach are facing handling problems. More than 60 vessels are anchored in front of the two ports, and more than 15 vessels in Oakland. Dockworkers are still operating with reduced staff due to COVID-19.  
  • This situation is expected to remain critical for at least the next 1-2 months.
  • For the time being, DACHSER is still recommending long-term planning and asks customers for information about upcoming transports as early as possible so that we can offer the best solution e.g. alternative routings via Seattle / Houston or even via the U.S. East Coast. 

DACHSER expedited LCL Service

  • In addition, DACHSER offers an expedited LCL service from China to the U.S. West Coast which is a reliable alternative for customers to avoid congestion issues. 
  • The weekly scheduled direct expedited LCL service brings average dwell time down from 14-25 days to 3-7 days. Read more details about this DACHSER designed service.

Transatlantic

  • A strong increase on rates as per April 1 is hitting the market. Carriers are strictly managing space. Equipment availability remains tight and waiting time for vessel space is about 6 weeks.
  • At Savannah port, some vessels are anchoring for unloading as well. The delay is currently almost 4 days. 
  • The yard is extremely congested and the port continues to move imports to the ocean terminal to make room for incoming imports in the pads.
  • Carrier contingency programs will also have a significant impact on delays and vessel space shortages from Europe to the U.S. and Mexico, as reduced and suspended services are expected in the upcoming weeks.

Read the PDF below for the current development based on World Container Index and Shanghai Containerized Freight Index.

Please do not hesitate to contact your local DACHSER representative for further advice, possible alternatives and any further information that might be needed. 

Container indexes PDF (0,11 MB)
DACHSER worldwide
Contact us
Bookmark article
Share article
Contact Katrine Cheng
katrine.cheng@dachser.com

You might also be interested in

09/28/2022
China-Hong Kong cross-border trucking reached a milestone

In March 2022, due to the spike of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Bay Area, various transport restrictions were implemented at the China–Hong Kong border to prevent the spread of virus. Customers with air export shipments out of Hong Kong encountered difficulties in order delivery from their production facilities in China to Hong Kong airport. DACHSER Greater China teams reacted quickly to the situation by arranging cross-border trucking solutions to offer customers a seamless and timely connection to Air & Sea Logistics.

Read
05/26/2022
With DACHSER on the southern route: full truck loads from China to Europe

The war in Ukraine has also had an impact on intercontinental land transport between Asia and Europe. Journeys through Russia and Belarus as well as through the conflict zone itself have become impossible. However, DACHSER Cargoplus can continue to offer the service reliably via an alternative southern route.

Read
09/13/2022
Step by step toward the goal — Sea freight groupage containers facilitate the continuous flow of goods

In turbulent economic times, sea freight groupage containers are becoming increasingly popular. Production bottlenecks, fragile global supply chains, and a container shortage have further increased the demand for small and predictable shipment sizes in sea freight. Michael Kriegel, Department Head DACHSER Chem Logistics, explains the service that enables a reliable flow of goods in sea freight. He also talks about why a good network connection is crucial, especially for goods with high security requirements.

Read
06/20/2019
Dachser appoints Yves Larquemin as Managing Director Far East North

DACHSER has established a new Far East North cluster across North China and Korea to optimize resources and provide increasingly efficient services to its customers. Helming the region is Yves Larquemin, who assumed his new role as Managing Director Far East North on June 1, 2019. Bringing decades of experience, the industry leader will drive growth across the region. He reports to Edoardo Podestá, Managing Director the DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics Asia Pacific Business Unit.

Read