go to Website
Mediaroom Customers Journalists
Watchlist (0)
back
lcl

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

08/12/2019
Typhoon Lekima causes service disruptions in East Asia

Super typhoon Lekima has brought major impact to the northern part of Taiwan and the eastern coast of China since August 9, local time.

Lekima made landfall near Shanghai in the early morning on August 10. Over the weekend, the storm brought heavy downpours, strong winds, flooding and landslides to coastal areas of seven provinces in China from Fujian to Jiangsu, including Shanghai city.

While some of the affected areas are still suffering from heavy rains and flooding, land transportation is disrupted. At the same time, seaport operations are disrupted and hundreds of flights are postponed or cancelled. Please expect shipment delays due to the adverse weather conditions.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. If you have any questions, please contact your local DACHSER representatives.

Read
12/17/2021
DACHSER air freight charters and distribution services support the containment of the pandemic

DACHSER is currently coordinating the operation of several charter rotations from China to Linz Airport in Austria as part of an extraordinary delivery of COVID-19 test kits. 

Read
03/15/2020
Statement on the current situation in regard to the spread of the COVID-19 virus

With this announcement, DACHSER is providing information on action to be taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus (also known as the coronavirus) within the DACHSER organization and in regard to the current status of operational activities as well as any possible impacts on our customers’ shipments.

In view of the current situation, specific guidelines for conduct and precautions have been rolled out within the global DACHSER organization. The actions to be taken include the establishment of a central reporting management system, regular assessment of the situation, and definition of additional action according to the situation. The relevant activities were also expanded and intensified on the basis of the existing hygiene management in the various areas (human resources, operational, and process hygiene).

In addition to these actions taken internally, DACHSER is complying with all current official regulations and taking appropriate precautions. In the event of restrictions applicable to individual locations, action plans are ready to be implemented in order to ensure that our network can continue to operate.

To enable a smooth process, we depend on being able to work together with all parties involved in the supply chains, including cooperation with truck drivers so that they will also be able to comply with increased hygiene regulations. We also fully integrated the drivers into our hygiene management and provided hand disinfectants at all locations.

We are doing everything possible to maintain our customers’ supply chains and prevent delays in shipments. If supply chains are to be affected in any way by checks, controls, flight cancellations, or the like, we will work to find alternative ways to ship the goods. We would also like to point out that the delivery times for consignments could be extended. However, the measures we have taken so far make us feel well equipped to deal with the current situation.To make this possible, it is essential that we maintain close coordination with our customers.

If you have any questions about your freight, please get in touch with your local point of contact at the respective branch of DACHSER.

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