seefracht-containerschiff-im-hafen-panorama.jpg

Cologne, 04-08-2021Current information of the global transport situation

weltkarte-panorama.jpg

Air & Sea News April 2021

Up-to-date overview of the situation after the Suez Canal blockade by the "Ever Given"


Ocean freight
The situation, which had already been tense for months due to a lack of equipment, as we have already reported in detail, received another unsightly climax with the blockade of the Suez Canal. We can already see the effects clearly:

  • Rise in shipping costs in April
  • Further restriction of the container availability due to the failure of the vessels to arrive in time

Due to the stowage of 400 large ships in the Suez Canal, the onward journey (daily throughput of approx. 50 ships) takes place with some delay.
Due to the disruption created in the logistics chain, which has already been damaged by the virus pandemic, the effects will be clearly felt for months. The ports suddenly have to cope with an increased volume; here, too, considerable delays in forwarding can be expected in the receiving ports.

Air freight
It is still true that the volume of air freight is booming, especially when it comes to imports from China. Some importers have switched to air freight (and also rail freight) because of the blockade of the sea routes. This, and the fact that passenger flights, as the backbone of air freight, hardly take place, mean that here, too, hope for a fundamental relaxation in terms of price levels and cargo space is fading.

Generally
Extraordinary events and the still tense situation in the healthcare system continue to make it difficult to plan international shipments in sea, rail and air freight. The rate level is still very high, unstable and hardly predictable. Due to a lack of space and a lack of equipment for all modes of transport, deadlines can only be implemented with an extended time window. We would love to send you better news and we hope to be able to do so again soon. In the meantime, we ask for your understanding for the current situation, which we cannot influence. Good communication is more important than ever - please contact us.