/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

“Death congestion” appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

The latest data from the World Health Organization show that as of 2:08 on the 16th, Beijing time, there were 91816091 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia worldwide, and a total of 1986,871 deaths. According to real-time statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 12:13 on the 16th Beijing time, there were 93,816,953 confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 2 million deaths, and a total of 2008,237 cases.

Now entering the second year of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, considering the dynamics of the spread of the virus, the epidemic situation may be more severe than the first year. Michael Ryan also pointed out that the northern hemisphere is particularly serious in Europe and North America, and a series of factors have increased the spread of the virus in many countries. At present, there are death congestion and slow operations in ports around the world, logistics and supply chains have been severely affected, and cargo transportation is bound to usher in unprecedented "large-scale delays."

The situation at the ports of the West Coast of the United States, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia, Nigeria and other countries is even more severe and it is not optimistic.

United States

Affected by the epidemic, the American people's demand for Chinese goods has soared. They are snapping up Chinese-made furniture, electrical appliances and bicycles. The containers carrying Chinese imported goods are stacked six stories high like Lego bricks. Truck drivers crowded in the parking lot and had to wait for hours to pick up the goods.

The Port of Los Angeles, the largest port in the United States, is continuing to bear the pressure of a large number of containers entering the port. At the same time, the port is heavily congested and a large number of ships are waiting to berth. The surge in container imports has also caused congestion in the port, making it more difficult for trucks and trucks to quickly move goods out of the port.

 

"Death congestion" appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

 

 

The congestion situation in US ports has not been significantly eased. According to a report from the Southern California Ocean Exchange, there are at least 47 ships waiting to enter the port at the anchorages outside the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Among them, 34 are container ships with a total capacity of more than 270,000 TEU. The largest ship is 16,022 TEU. In addition, as the epidemic continues to spread in the United States, the number of confirmed cases in the United States has been increasing, and a large number of logistics industry practitioners are also unable to continue working due to the diagnosis of new crown pneumonia. Many logistics parks in the United States are facing serious manpower shortages.

 

"Death congestion" appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

 

 

The Inland Empire logistics zone, located about 100 kilometers east of the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has become an important extension and logistics hub of the above two ports. However, due to the high proportion of employees in warehouses and distribution centers diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia, the supply chain of the logistics park is extremely fragile.

It is worth noting that with the US President-elect Biden will be formally sworn in on January 20, 2021, the United States may implement a trillion-dollar economic stimulus plan. Biden once said: "In order to prevent economic collapse, we should now invest a lot of money to develop the economy, which is very necessary."

United Kingdom

Felixstowe, the largest port in the UK, usually handles 40% of all container traffic in the UK, and now the average ship stays in the port for more than 32 hours. This series of conditions forces shippers to transfer cargo to other ports. Since the end of last year, Maersk and MSC have replaced the port of Felixstowe with the port of Liverpool on their TA2/NEUATL2 loop route across the Atlantic.

 

"Death congestion" appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

 

 

Trucks waiting in line to enter the Port of Dover, Kent, are undergoing document checks

This measure introduced as a result of Brexit resulted in hundreds of British truck drivers being fined for crossing Kent without permission. Since January 1, the UK is no longer bound by EU rules. Since the new rules came into effect, the British police have issued 407 fines. Trucks travelling from all over the UK to France must obtain a Kent Pass before entering Kent, so that they can obtain the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel right of passage.

The additional permit checks caused controversy and traffic jams at the border. Kent County Police Department Assistant Sergeant Claire Nix said: “Although most HGV drivers who travel to Europe via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel enter the county with a valid Kent County Pass, there are still too many people who have to stop. Accept the fine and return to the place of departure. "If this trend continues, it may cause traffic disruption in Kent, which is expected to increase significantly in the coming weeks.

Australia

Recently, Australia's container supply chain has been in constant chaos, and this problem may not be effectively resolved in a short period of time.

 

"Death congestion" appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

 

 

Due to previous strikes, the ship’s schedule was disrupted, resulting in a backlog of cargo for "8 to 10 weeks". However, the union denied that the strike was mainly due to the reason. The union claimed that the surge in transportation demand was the main reason.

In the process of New South Wales port's efforts to solve the road congestion in Botany Port, Sydney container trucks bear the brunt. Although the trucking industry issued a warning, it then called on the authorities and the container chain to take action to improve the chaos.

Ports of New South Wales pointed out that in the past few months, the empty container terminal (ECP) in Sydney has faced high demand from carriers and customers for empty container unloading. This high demand sometimes leads to long lines of trucks outside the exit control station and on the road to the port.

Ports of New South Wales pointed out that truck queues appear on Simblist and Friendship highways almost every day. Sometimes these trucks queue up not only to cause serious congestion, but also to potential safety issues that must be resolved. Although the management of the truck queue is the responsibility of the ECP operator, the Port of New South Wales has decided to take action to solve this problem by introducing additional temporary dedicated truck queue areas in a safe place.

Malaysia

There was serious congestion around the busiest Klang West Hong Kong dollar. As the congestion intensified, many wholesalers and retailers said that the container congestion in the West Port of Port Klang caused delivery delays for more than one month, which increased unnecessary costs.

 

"Death congestion" appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

 

 

The chairman of the Port Klang Authority, Datuk Zhang Shengwen, recently disclosed that after the container congestion problem occurred in the port of Klang, the bureau set up a working team headed by the Ministry of Transport. In the past month, the working team has implemented a number of countermeasures. The problem has been significantly improved. The waiting time for cargo ships to dock for loading and unloading has been drastically reduced from an average of 5 days last month to 24 hours. After taking timely response measures, the container congestion in Port Klang has been effectively improved and relieved. All refrigerated containers that have been stopped have been quarantined and cleared within one day.

Zhang Shengwen revealed that some shipping companies have also specially arranged additional cargo ships for this purpose, and the Port Authority has arranged for these cargo ships to dock first to speed up the time for loading and unloading cargo. In addition, transport agents and importers are also committed to taking away imported containers in advance to avoid storing them in the port area.

"Although the congestion problem in Port Klang is mainly caused by external factors, the Port Authority and the logistics industry will still take all responsibilities and strive to reduce the inconvenience of port users, especially during the coming February Lunar New Year." He said, appropriate During the Lunar New Year period, the volume of cargo will also be at a "peak" period. All parties will continue to maintain close cooperation to face problems together and respond appropriately to ensure timely and effective services for freight forwarders and shipping companies.

India

Due to the gradual weakening of the hurricane, the port of Katupali has resumed normal export shipments. The port is deploying all necessary resources to reduce berthing delays and quickly transshipment.

Nigeria

In Nigeria’s busiest ports, TinCan Port and Apapa Port in Lagos, due to port cargo congestion, no less than 43 ships loaded with various cargoes are currently trapped in the waters of Lagos. Due to the limited space in the port, many ships cannot enter and unload, and can only stay at sea.

The congestion in the port of Lagos is so serious that the cost of these trucks to transport a container 20 kilometers inland in Nigeria may exceed $4,000, which is almost equivalent to the cost of transporting 12,000 nautical miles from China. (Congestion caused importers to abandon the goods! 4000 overdue container cargoes will be auctioned!)

 

"Death congestion" appeared in ports in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and other countries!

 

 

The ports of Apapa and Tinkan, which are the main entrances to Africa's largest economies, the economic recession triggered by the epidemic and the recent turmoil in the commercial capital of Nigeria have exacerbated the port’s long-term crisis. Dozens of container ships are stranded at sea due to congestion, and hundreds of trucks stay on the road for days or weeks, waiting to enter and exit the port.

At present, the port is extremely congested and the increase in ocean freight prices has stimulated the nerves of aviation traders. The goods exported by some manufacturers to the United States, due to unloaded unloading and delayed customs clearance, could not be delivered to the buyer’s warehouse on time, so they could only throw away the goods and abandon the goods, resulting in heavy losses. In the near future, pay attention to the development of major ports in time, so as to avoid problems and stop losses in time.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

The container throughput of 122 million TEUs China Merchants Port hits a record high

2020 is a year in which China’s port industry is facing severe tests. It will face both the impact of the raging global COVID-19 pandemic and the severe challenges of changes in the global economic landscape. China Merchants Ports will face difficulties, turn crises into opportunities, and implement precise policies with results. Significantly, container throughput gradually recovered after bottoming out in March. It turned negative for the first time in June and reached new highs in the second half of the year. It bucked the trend and hit a new high of 122 million TEUs, an increase of 7.8% year-on-year. Among them, the terminals in Mainland China completed 85.76 million TEUs, the ports in Hong Kong and Taiwan completed 7.14 million TEUs, and the overseas terminals completed 28.78 million TEUs; the annual bulk cargo throughput was 450 million tons.

In 2020, China Merchants Port aims to "promote the spirit of Shekou, implement national strategies, and become world-class". It will fight the epidemic with one hand and production with the other. Its multiple terminals will overcome difficulties, seize opportunities, and expand the supply of goods through multiple channels. New markets, new achievements in history.

Shenzhen's western home port: seize opportunities and outperform the market

Thanks to the alleviation of the domestic epidemic, the business volume of China Merchants Port's Shenzhen Western Port Area has recovered significantly in the second half of 2020. The historical record of container throughput has been set again throughout the year. The container throughput was 11.84 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 3.6%. Shenzhen's total growth rate of 3.0% in Hong Kong; of which 11.11 million TEUs were completed in foreign trade, a year-on-year increase of 2.7%. To achieve such results, seizing development opportunities is the key. The western port area of ​​Shenzhen has used multiple channels to solicit cargo sources and expand markets, maintaining a stable bulk cargo supply situation. Container liners from all over the world berthed as scheduled and were loaded and unloaded smoothly. A series of combined measures, such as advance declaration and reloading of whole ships, have promoted a large increase in exports in the western port area of ​​Shenzhen; in terms of imports, the development of sources of goods has increased. On the whole, business in some areas has been affected by the new crown epidemic. But the container throughput still keeps growing.

The container throughput of 122 million TEUs China Merchants Port hits a record high

Zhanjiang Port Group: Increasing against the trend, the volume of a variety of goods hit a record high

Zhanjiang Port Group has achieved rapid growth in domestic trade container volume and sea-rail combined cargo volume through the China Merchants Port’s north-south collaborative network. At the same time, it is committed to expanding regional transit and increasing the development of return cargo sources. The container throughput has completed 1.22 million TEUs, an increase of 10.0% year-on-year ; The throughput of bulk and general cargo was 90.87 million tons throughout the year, and the completed volume of major cargoes such as iron ore and grain hit a record high. In the new crown pneumonia epidemic and the turmoil of the international trade situation, it maintained growth against the trend, and its production reached a peak again, which provided an excellent answer to consolidate the status of China Merchants Port's bulk cargo home port and build a strong regional port.

The container throughput of 122 million TEUs China Merchants Port hits a record high

Shantou China Merchants Port: The growth rate of container throughput ranked first in the country, and the profit doubled

In 2020, the container throughput exceeded 1 million TEUs for the first time, a significant increase of 39.6% against the trend, and the growth rate ranked among the top coastal ports in the country. Its annual profit is expected to double year-on-year, exceeding its annual production and operation target. The throughput of Shantou China Merchants Port has achieved a new leap in history and joined the ranks of million TEU port enterprises, mainly due to the basic stability of the domestic container source market for domestic trade. After the second phase of the Guangao Port Area is put into production, the advantages are obvious. The company's overall cooperation trend is good, and the volume of transit containers has increased. The port's containers have entered a new stage of large-scale development, and the port's service capabilities, regional influence, and competitiveness have reached a new level.

The container throughput of 122 million TEUs China Merchants Port hits a record high

Overseas: Double-digit growth in container throughput and integrated operation of overseas home ports

In 2020, China Merchants Port will join the 8 newly acquired terminals through Terminal Link, which will increase the container throughput of overseas terminals by 38.1% year-on-year. It is worth mentioning that the overseas home port Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) and Hambantota Port Project (HIPG) built by China Merchants Port in Sri Lanka have achieved integrated operation, achieving coordination in many aspects such as operation, equipment, finance, and epidemic prevention. , Ensuring the efficiency and quality of operation and operation, and both Hong Kong and Hong Kong have achieved growth against the trend. Among them, the annual container throughput of CICT increased by 1.9% year-on-year, and the throughput of HIPG bulk cargo increased nearly 1.5 times. Brazil’s new crown epidemic is facing a serious test. TCP actively fights against the epidemic and seizes the rare opportunity of sustained growth in local agricultural exports. Container throughput increased by 7.4% year-on-year.

The container throughput of 122 million TEUs China Merchants Port hits a record high

In the face of multiple severe tests in 2020, China Merchants Port dared to face the difficulties, and resumed production in the fight against the epidemic, working hard and achieving new historical growth in its business. In 2021, the people of China Merchants Port will strengthen their strategic determination, continue to inherit the "China Merchants bloodline, Shekou gene, and Hailiao spirit", not forgetting their original aspirations, drawing blueprints, bravely shouldering their missions, steadily moving forward, and contributing to becoming a world-class company Make unremitting efforts.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

In the congested and chaotic port of Lagos, customs seized 133 containers of smuggled drugs

The congestion in the port of Lagos is so serious that the cost of these trucks to transport a container 20 kilometers inland in Nigeria may exceed US$4,000; the economic recession triggered by the epidemic and the recent turbulence in the commercial capital of Nigeria have exacerbated the port’s long-term Since the crisis. Dozens of container ships are stranded at sea due to congestion, and hundreds of trucks stay on the road for days or weeks, waiting to enter and exit the port.

A few days ago, the Nigeria General Administration of Customs (NCS) headquarters in Apapa Port, Lagos, seized a total of 318 containers, of which 133 containers were unregistered drugs.

In the congested and chaotic port of Lagos, customs seized 133 containers of smuggled drugs

Mohammed Abba-Kura, the regional head of the command headquarters, introduced the details of the seized items. He said: “The seized items contained 133 containers of unregistered drugs, including the drug tramadol; 58 3 containers of semi-boiled rice; 30 containers of vegetable oil; 31 containers of second-hand clothing and shoes; 13 containers of used tires and other sundries.

"According to this, the headquarters seized a total of 318 containers with a tax value of more than 21 billion naira. This figure tripled from the total seizure of 112 containers in 2019, and the total value of smuggled goods seized in 2019 was the total tax value. 12.5 billion naira," he said.

Aba Kula added that, in accordance with the Nigerian government’s current circulars, trade guidelines and fiscal policy measures, the Apapa Command has strengthened its efforts to combat smuggling operations by economic disruptors through reliable sources of intelligence and continued cooperation with other agencies.

Abba Kula further stated that compared with the figure of 423.6 billion naira in the same period in 2019, between January 2020 and December 2020, smuggled goods worth 518.46 billion naira have been seized to supplement federal fiscal revenue, which is a significant increase 94.937 billion naira, an increase of 22.3%.

Abba Kula attributed this achievement to the customs staff who strictly implemented the government's fiscal policy. "Export-related figures have also increased, from 260,000 tons in 2019 to 1.31 million tons in 2020, and the FOB price of export items has also risen from US$132 million to US$340 million. The main export products include steel bars, agricultural products and minerals. ."

In the congested and chaotic port of Lagos, customs seized 133 containers of smuggled drugs

It is also worth noting that due to severe port congestion, a large number of stranded container cargoes have a worrying ripple effect on Lagos port operations. There are more than 4,000 container cargoes overdue in the Apapa Port Complex (LPC) and Tinkan Port in Lagos; stakeholders in the industry call on the General Administration of Customs (NCS) to auction approximately 4,000 containers, thereby Relieve congestion in the port of Lagos in the new year.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

2021 Freight Rates:China/East Asia to North Europe Surge to $7340（FBX）

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In 2021, the freight rates of the two major east-west routes between Asia and Europe and the trans-Pacific have soared while the other has plummeted, walking out of different tracks.The surge in freight rates between Asia and Europe continued into 2021.

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China/East Asia to North Europe freight rate trend

According to the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX), on December 31, 2020, the freight rate between Asia and Europe was $5,662 /TEU, but on January 1, 2021, it soared to $6,992 /TEU overnight, a 23.5% jump overnight.

As of January 6, 2021, freight rates for Asia-Europe routes create a new high level $7340.

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China/East Asia to Mediterranean freight rate trend

China/East Asia - Mediterranean route freight price trend is similar to Asia-Eruop route, also appear overnight skyrocketing market.

On December 31, 2020, the Asia-Mediterranean route was priced at $5,644 /TEU, and on January 6, 2021, it rose to $7,207 /TEU, an overnight increase of a staggering 27.7%.

 

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In addition, according to the statistics of the Baltic freight index, in 2020, the annual freight prices of Asia-Europe routes rose 205%, and the annual freight prices of Mediterranean routes rose 168%.

Recently, the outbreak in Europe has rebounded seriously, and many countries have greatly upgraded the level of epidemic prevention measures, which has also added to the uncertainty in the Asian and European markets.

Shippers have said they are offering $16,000 /FEU to ship in late January 2021 on Asia-Europe routes."Ships are full at the moment, and if we accept this offer, it means other shippers' cargo will be dumped."

Other freight forwarders said they were currently only able to get shipping space after the Chinese New Year holiday.

In contrast, trans-Pacific routes, which had been rising since the second half of 2020, fell sharply overnight.Industry analysts said that this may mean that the line's freight rates have peaked.

According to the Baltic Freight Index, on January 1, 2021, rates on the Far East to West US route also hit a new high of $4,200 /FEU.On January 6, 2021, it fell to $3,890 /FEU, a 7.4% decline.

 

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During the same period, the rate for the Far East to East US route also fell from $5,405 /FEU to $4,966 /FEU, a higher drop of 8.1%.

 

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China/East Asia to North America East Coast route freight trend

In 2020, the freight rate of the China/East Asia to North America West Coast of the United States rose as high as 209%, and the freight rate of the China/East Asia to North America Eest Coast rose 107%.

 

Despite the temporary drop in freight rates, a number of shipping companies have announced new surcharge standards.

 

Many shipping companies, including CMA CGM,Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen Marine, HMM, ONE, YangMing, and ZIM have announced that starting January 1, 2021, they will be charging a combined rate increase surcharge (GRI) ranging from $1,000 to $1,200 /FEU on trans-Pacific routes.

Meanwhile, the surge in imports from Asia, particularly e-commerce products and medical supplies, continues unabated.

 

Due to the influence of Christmas, the ports in the west of the United States are congested. Container ships arriving at the port on the same day are still moored in the anchorage of the ports in the west of the United States, waiting for the berth. The ports in the west of the United States are facing the dilemma of high traffic volume.

 

Longer times to move containers from terminals due to a crowded surface transportation supply chain mean there will be no room for container ships in Los Angeles and Long Beach for several days, with average waiting times expected to increase to about two weeks.

 

The Port of Los Angeles is expected to ship nearly 160,000 TEUs from Asia in the first week of 2021, a 45 percent increase over the same period in 2020, according to the Port's forecast.

In the second week of 2021, shipments are expected to reach a staggering 175,000 TEUs, double the figure for the same period in 2020.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

The world is short of 500,000TEU containers, and the container supply chain is in a big dilemma

Flexport, a freight forwarding company based in the United States, said that it is now necessary to produce 500,000 new 20-foot containers to alleviate the current disruption to the global container supply chain due to lack of container equipment.

The world is short of 500,000TEU containers, and the container supply chain is in a big dilemma

Nerijus Poskus, Flexport's vice president of global shipping, estimated in an interview with Bloomberg that hundreds of thousands of new containers will be needed to meet current market demand.

Nerijus Poskus told Bloomberg, “In order to alleviate the current container supply chain dilemma, at least 500,000 new containers need to be built around the world, which is equivalent to the number of 25 largest container ships in the world.”

The vice president of Flexport also said that the surge in demand has also caused the spot freight rate for a standard container across the Pacific to quadruple. This figure does not include additional costs related to equipment and insurance premiums to guarantee loading.

Due to the tight container supply chain, Volkswagen AG was forced to cut its production plan for the world’s largest car factory in Germany, and warned that the tight supply may spread to the world; Honda Motor Co. is also cutting five times. The output of the North American plant is difficult to purchase automotive chips.

Rob Subbaraman, global head of macro research at Nomura Holdings in Singapore, said, "Supply bottlenecks seem to be more pronounced in the United States and Europe, as their supply delivery time has recently slowed down again." "This is not good for Western industrial production and should lead to inventories. A steeper decline and put upward pressure on output prices."

"Anyone who pays for shipping in 2020 knows that the true cost of shipping is even much higher than the recent increase in shipping. We expect this number to only increase in 2021."

The world is short of 500,000TEU containers, and the container supply chain is in a big dilemma

Maersk: Congestion in the container supply chain will not improve in the near future

A Maersk executive said that in the reality of strong demand, there is almost no excess capacity in container ships , and the congested supply chain can hardly be alleviated.

Maersk Line’s parent company AP Moller-Maersk A/S Latin America and the Caribbean Senior Vice President Fan Chuyan Robbert van Trooijen recently stated that the demand for container shipping services may still remain at an unusually high level in the near future. With almost no remaining container capacity, carriers and shippers will have to continue to adapt to the tight situation of the container supply chain caused by the pandemic.

Fan Chuyan also said that factories in China and other parts of Asia have increased production because their customers in other parts of the world are rebuilding inventory that was depleted due to the suspension of production at Chinese factories early last year.

He also introduced that at the same time, the current idle capacity of the container shipping industry is at a historical low of about 1.5% , so there will be almost no additional capacity to be used in the market in the short term.

In fact, according to the latest data provided by Alphaliner, as of December 21, 2020, the global proportion of inactive containers is only about 1% , taking into account that it includes ship docking maintenance, installation of desulfurization equipment and ballast water systems, etc. Situation, this is already the lowest level in history.

The world is short of 500,000TEU containers, and the container supply chain is in a big dilemma

He said: "In the foreseeable future, the current supply and demand situation will not change significantly, because there is not enough new ship order capacity." "This (tight supply chain) situation may continue for some time."

The executive said that compared with the existing fleet, the current capacity ratio of new container ship orders is at the lowest level in history.

Due to the imbalance between supply and demand, we have also seen a sharp increase in container freight rates recently. Fan Chuyan refused to disclose his views on recent freight rates.

With the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year, workers need to return to their hometowns to visit relatives. After the Spring Festival holiday in February, the flow of Chinese manufactured goods to other parts of the world may temporarily stagnate. But he also emphasized that demand may remain high.

For example, Xinde Maritime.com has placed an order for 18 ships of 24000TEU! Will the shipping fee be reduced? According to the article, due to the relatively sluggish state of the container shipping industry in recent years and the uncertainty about future fuel selection, container shipping companies and shipowners have previously maintained a more cautious attitude towards ordering new ships.

According to data provided by Alphaliner, Maersk, the world's largest container shipping company, has been busy in business transformation in recent years, and currently does not have many new ship orders.

Fan Chuyan said that Maersk will not have a significant new capacity put into operation in the future , but will focus on opening up various nodes and improving the flow of goods on land and sea.

He also revealed that Maersk hopes to expand its logistics business in the region through organic and acquisition. He declined to say which acquisition method the company will consider. In the past few years, Maersk has made investments and acquisitions in areas such as customs declaration and inland logistics.

Brazil is a major exporter of commodities, and China's demand for these commodities is very strong, the most famous of which are soybeans and iron ore. These commodities are usually transported by dry bulk carriers, and Maersk does not use dry bulk carriers in its fleet. But Brazil is also a big buyer of Chinese manufactured goods shipped in containers.

Fan Chuyan introduced that the current supply of containers on this route is severely short, and the strategies adopted by some customers to bypass congested nodes have exacerbated this situation. He said that "some customers book two or three different" carriers to make sure they can move goods into or out of the country. "

He said that the company is working closely with some major customers to make operations smooth, including implementing a new system that will ensure that they have space and prevent overbooking.

The world is short of 500,000TEU containers, and the container supply chain is in a big dilemma

Super congested Port of Los Angeles

Satellite AIS ship tracking data shows that currently about 30 container ships are parked at two ports near Los Angeles waiting for berths, and there are about 20 before Christmas. Los Angeles is the busiest gateway for American goods trade.

Logistics media American Shipper recently interviewed Kip Louttit, executive director of the Southern California Shipping Exchange, to understand the latest situation of ship congestion in San Pedro Bay.

He said that as of noon on Wednesday, 91 ships were in the port, of which 46 were at berths and 45 were at anchorages. Among them, 56 are container ships, 24 are at berth and 32 are at anchor.

It also introduced that several container ships will be anchored at the port on Friday, and the total number of anchorages will reach 37. But Louttit said, "From January 1 to today, there has been no significant change."

Louttit confirmed that the ship has actually filled up all available anchorages near Los Angeles and Long Beach. Ships also occupied 6 of 10 emergency anchorages near Huntington, south of San Pedro. If all the emergency anchorages are also occupied, then the newly arrived ships will have to go deeper offshore for drifting.

Yesterday, the captain of a container ship about to go to the Port of Los Angeles said that our ship had just left the Port of Busan and received news that it was expected to wait at least 4-5 days at the anchorage.

The fact that so many ships are anchored in the waters of the Los Angeles port also reflects the degree of congestion in the container supply chain. The last time so many ships anchored there was between 2014 and 2015, when the workers of the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles went on strike for a period of time.

"On March 14, 2015, there were 28 container ships at anchor on the highest peak at that time. Looking at it now, this record has been broken," Loutitt said.

In a warning letter issued to customers this week, Germany’s largest container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd reported: “Due to the surge in imports, all terminals in (Los Angeles/Long Beach) continue to be crowded. (This) is expected to continue until February. ."

Hapag-Lloyd also stated that “the staff at the terminal is limited” and claimed that this is related to COVID-19. "This labor shortage affects a series of operations such as TAT ​​(turnaround time) truck drivers at all terminals and transfers between terminals."

Hapag-Lloyd also confirmed that the congestion problem has spread beyond California ports. The company reported that “serious congestion” has also occurred in Canadian ports. “The berth congestion at Maher Wharf and APM Wharf (New York and New Jersey Ports) also affected all routes, and ships had to face several days of delay after arrival.”

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is conllabltroe and can place orders with confidence?

In 2020, the new crown pneumonia virus has swept the world, and people are shrouded in the haze of the epidemic. However, with the advent of the New Year, the epidemic has not eased, but has worsened in many countries. It can be seen that the global anti-epidemic situation is extremely severe.

Current situation in China

The most severely affected area in China is Hebei Province. As of 24:00 on January 11, 2021, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai have screened a total of 364 positive cases.

 

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is controllable and can place orders with confidence?

 

 

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is controllable and can place orders with confidence?

 

 

Regarding the epidemic in Shijiazhuang, Zhang Wenhong, a well-known Chinese expert, said about the epidemic in Shijiazhuang: The recent epidemic in Shijiazhuang has obvious clustering characteristics, and it can be controlled within a few weeks or a month before it reaches the stage of dispersion. We are confident about this.

With the approach of China's most important Spring Festival, many people worry that the epidemic will affect Chinese suppliers. Will it have an impact?

Industry insiders indicated that unless we see other major epidemics in mainland China, we can expect most factories to produce normally. It must also be mentioned that the Chinese government has introduced a series of measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

• Epidemic prevention measure 1: vaccination

 

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is controllable and can place orders with confidence?

 

 

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is controllable and can place orders with confidence?

According to reports, as more and more new crown vaccines around the world are approved, experts predict that the new crown epidemic will improve or be brought under control. The good news is that China's State Food and Drug Administration has approved three new coronavirus inactivated vaccines for the market, which will mean that domestic large-scale vaccination may begin quickly.

According to the national plan, the new crown vaccination plan will be divided into two steps. The first step is to vaccinate key populations, including: staff engaged in import cold chain, port quarantine, ship piloting, aviation air service, fresh food market, public transportation, medical disease control and other high risk of infection, and going to medium and high risk countries or regions People who go to work and study.

The second step is to achieve gradual universal vaccination. Based on the vaccination of high-risk groups and key groups that has been carried out and is being carried out, my country will gradually and orderly promote the vaccination of the elderly and high-risk groups with underlying diseases, and follow-up vaccination for the general population.

There may be differences in the specific plans for appointment vaccination between provinces. For example, according to the Weibo news of “Sichuan Release”, the first vaccination of key populations is expected to be completed before January 15 and all doses will be completed before February 5. Times of vaccination.

In this regard, you can explain to the customer like this:

China has begun a nationwide drive to vaccinate some 50 million front-line workers against the coronavirus before the Lunar New Year travel rush next month.

Before the peak of the Spring Festival travel season next month, China has begun to promote the anti-coronavirus vaccine for nearly 50 million priority people nationwide .

China has officially started vaccination to high-risk population since December 15, 2020, and the Chinese authorities said it has administered 9 million doses around the country, proving that the Chinese vaccines are safe. It is expected that China is highly likely to ensure a domestic vaccines capacity of more than 2 billion doses in 2021 to meet the target of at least 70 percent of Chinese get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

Since December 15, 2020, China has officially begun to vaccinate high-risk groups. Chinese authorities have stated that 9 million doses of vaccine have been vaccinated nationwide and these vaccines are safe. In addition, China is likely to ensure that its domestic vaccination capacity exceeds 2 billion doses in 2021, so that at least 70% of Chinese people will be vaccinated to achieve the goal of herd immunity.

In addition to vaccines, the Chinese government this year also encouraged migrant workers to "unnecessarily not return to their hometowns and celebrate the New Year on the spot." 

• Epidemic prevention measures 2: Call for the New Year on the spot

 

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is controllable and can place orders with confidence?

 

 

How to explain to customers in English that the epidemic in China is controllable and can place orders with confidence?

 

 

As the Chinese New Year (February 12 this year) is approaching, many people who work abroad are ready to return to their hometown for the holiday. Zhu Wenzhong, deputy director of the passenger transportation department of China National Railway Group, said that during the "Spring Festival" period from January 28 to March 8 this year, 407 million trips are expected, which will be 93% higher than last year (because of the outbreak in Wuhan last year) Interrupt).

In addition, due to the fact that the local epidemic situation in my country is spreading at multiple points and local clusters are intertwined and superimposed. The State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism Comprehensive Team recently issued the "Notice on Doing a Good Job in the Prevention and Control of the New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic During the New Year's Day and Spring Festival of 2021", pointing out that migrant workers should be guided to stay at the construction site for the New Year when conditions permit. Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui, Henan, Shandong and many other places have recently issued recommendations not to return to their hometown if they are not necessary during the Spring Festival, encourage flexible vacations, and advocate non-necessary not to leave their work place and celebrate the holidays locally.

At present, many local governments have issued notices calling on people to stay at work to prevent the spread of the virus, and the China National Railway Corporation announced that any train tickets booked before January 7, 2021 can be refunded.

In this regard, you can explain to the customer like this:

China's cabinet has also urged employers to be flexible about this year's Lunar New Year break. "In a bid to prevent transmission and control the pandemic, we encourage companies and enterprises to make flexible arrangements for the holiday and guide employees to spend the vacation in the area where they work," the State Council said in a notice recently.

The State Council of China also recently issued a notice stating that it encourages business owners to implement flexible vacations, and advocates not leaving their work place if necessary and spending holidays on the spot.

Many local governments have issued notices this week calling on people to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus, prompting China State Railway to announce that any train tickets booked before Jan.7th could be refunded.

Many local governments have issued notices this week calling on people to stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus, prompting the China National Railway Corporation to announce that any train tickets booked before January 7 can be refunded.

So, in addition to telling customers the latest information about the epidemic in China and related measures, what do foreigners need to do? That is: take advantage of the situation to remind orders.

•Use the opportunity to remind orders

According to a report by Global.com, due to the approaching Chinese New Year, companies from various European countries have recently imported Chinese goods on a large scale. They said: When the Chinese have a rest for the Spring Festival, we will not be able to buy anything even if we have money! It is worth mentioning that most of the sudden increase in orders are medical items related to epidemic prevention.

In addition, the German weekly "Der Spiegel" recently reported that as the Chinese New Year is approaching, European traders are beginning to worry about the suspension of production in Chinese factories, the bottleneck in logistics, and the continued increase in prices, and they are speeding up the booking of Chinese defense products.

Faced with such a situation, the People's Congress of Foreign Trade can take advantage of this situation to urge orders. Generally speaking, before the Spring Festival, we will send notices to our customers to inform them of the time when the factory will stop production and the time to start work after the year, so that customers can be prepared. However, this year’s situation is special. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the delivery time is longer than before, so we can advise customers to arrange their orders in advance.

In this regard, we can say this:

The delivery date might be longer, so we suggest you placing order at an earlier date, then we can occupy the production line for you and deliver goods at an earlier time. In addition, you can grab the market share earlier. Now we are still receiving orders every day, if you have pending orders, please hurry up.

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the delivery time is longer than before, so it is recommended that you place an order in advance. So we can help you arrange production as soon as possible and deliver as soon as possible. After you receive the goods as soon as possible, you can occupy the market share in advance. In addition, many customers are placing orders now, so if you have a demand, please place an order as soon as possible.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

Do you know all these 10 documents in the process of container transportation?

In addition to the three main orders of "equipment handover form", "station receipt" and "handover record", container transportation usually includes the following 10 types of documents.

(1) Booking form

The booking list is prepared by the shipping company or other carrier when accepting the shipper's (or shipper's) booking, according to the shipper’s verbal or written application, recording the cargo consignment, and used to arrange container cargo transportation. The main contents of the documents and booking list include: cargo name, number of packages, packaging style, mark, weight, size, port of destination, settlement period, transshipment period, whether it can be transported in batches, transshipment, etc.

(2) Booking list

The booking list is a list of the delivery and loading places of different goods drawn by the shipping company or its agent according to the contents of the booking form.

(3) Packing list

The packing list is the only document that details the name, quantity and stowage of the goods in each container. When the container is used as a unit for transportation, the container packing list is an extremely important document. It is the basis for cargo declaration, handover, etc. The weight of the cargo and the container recorded on the document is used to calculate the ship’s draught difference and stability. Basic data of sex. When cargo damage or cargo difference occurs, it is also one of the original basis for handling accident claims.

(4) Annotation list

When the container terminal yard or container freight station receives goods, if the goods are found to be abnormal, the content and extent of the abnormality should be recorded in the remarks column of the station receipt, and then a document is compiled based on these contents. This document is called the endorsement list.

(5) Shipping order

The bill of lading is a document signed and sealed by the carrier or its agent. It is not only a certificate for consignment of the goods, but also a certificate for notifying the ship to accept the shipment of the carried goods.

(6) Loading list

The loading list is the cargo consigned by the carrier or its agent according to this voyage. The goods of similar nature are classified according to the order of arrival at the port, and then a summary list of loading orders is made.

(7) Bill of lading

The bill of lading is a certificate issued to the shipper or shipper by the container transport operator or its agent after receiving or taking over the goods, proving that the transported goods have been received or loaded on the ship, and are to be transported by sea. The port delivers the goods to the legitimate bill of lading holder. It is also a kind of transportation contract between the transportation company and the owner, which reflects the right of the recorded direction of the goods. It is usually circulated by endorsement, which is a pledge. The main ancillary documents of the remittance bill are divided into the bill of lading and the bill of lading for receipt.

(8) Empty container handover order

The empty container handover form is a document filled out when the shipper uses the shipping company's container, and the shipping company instructs the container custodian to deliver the empty container to the holder of this document.

(9) Guarantee

In the process of container transportation, the carrier’s responsibility is calculated from the time of receiving the goods. Therefore, the goods and container damages that have occurred before the goods are received are recorded in detail on the station receipt, and this record is transferred to the bill of lading. In fact constitutes an unclean bill of lading.

(10) Cargo Consignment Form

A container cargo consignment note is a written certificate issued by the shipper (consignor or freight forwarder) to the carrier or its agent in accordance with the relevant clauses in the first contract and the letter of credit.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

Global container ship freight rates soared by 80%

In the second half of last year, the rapid recovery of the shipping market caused the “hard to find one container” situation to continue after the beginning of this year-empty containers are still in demand, and some people can't order containers with 10,000 US dollars. On January 8th, at the Hudong Wharf of Waigaoqiao, Shanghai Port, the terminal production has been operating at full capacity recently. In the yard, there are a large number of containers stacked, and the number of heavy containers for storing goods is much larger than the number of empty containers. The industry believes that the shortage of empty containers and the hard-to-find situation of one container will continue for some time.

Where are the empty boxes that you can't get?

 

"A box is hard to find" continues to be staged, how can the market relieve the "box worries"?

 

 

Chinese shippers and freight forwarders all over the world "seeking" empty containers, but where did the empty containers go? The answer is simple, it is blocked in other ports.

While the Asian port and shipping industry is desperately desperate for empty containers, although there is a shortage of shipping capacity, price increases can be used to push shipping companies to cancel suspending, refilling, and increase shipping capacity; however, a large number of containers full of cargo are seriously stranded in European and American ports and warehouses. , Unable to move.

A British freight forwarder said, "Our customers are willing to pay such a high freight, but due to port congestion, we are still working hard to move the boxes. Some boxes have been on the dock for more than four weeks and still don’t know what Time to ship."

At the same time, urgently needed empty containers in Asia are scattered in warehouses across Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, where troubled ports have to restrict container delivery to already overcrowded terminals.

The current shortage of containers is a once-in-a-hundred-year problem in the history of global supply chains, and there is basically no solution in the short term. In recent weeks, some container ships sailed from Asia to Europe, but did not return in time, resulting in a serious shortage of empty containers.

A carrier source said: “Due to the insufficient number of containers in the warehouses in China, we have had to reduce the number of recent voyages.” All carriers report that their warehouses are severely lacking the most popular 40-foot tall containers and 40 Foot standard containers, most of the time, even 20 foot containers are in short supply.

The latest container availability index report from Container xChange shows that the availability of the entire China is "still at the lowest level in history." The report added: “Due to the rapid growth in demand after a few months of blank sailing, the current availability rate of 40-foot high cabinets in China is only 0.05 points, compared with 0.63 in the same period last year.” Data above 0.5 indicates surplus, and below 0.5 indicates deficit.

A British freight forwarder revealed that many ocean carriers (shipping companies) now refuse to accept their export bookings until mid-January. "Our customers are ready to pay for these crazy prices, but the ports are blocked. We are still trying to pull the boxes away. He said: “We have some boxes on the dock for more than four weeks, but we still don’t know when they can be unloaded. "

At the same time, urgently needed containers in Asia are scattered in warehouses across Europe, especially in the UK. In the UK, congested ports began to order to restrict containers from being shipped back to already overcrowded terminals.

“The epidemic situation in Europe and the United States still exists, and the labor force in the ports is definitely relatively short, and the speed of customs clearance will slow down. This will prevent the timely unloading of incoming goods and allow the containers that could be turned around to stay abroad for a long time." Yang Li, a retired freight forwarder, analyzed. In addition, since the third quarter, China's export business has increased in volume, which has also intensified the pressure on container demand.

Global container ship freight rates soared by 80%

 

"A box is hard to find" continues to be staged, how can the market relieve the "box worries"?

 

 

The lack of containers in the market has led to soaring shipping rates, and the price increase of popular routes is even more exaggerated. Guo Shaohai, head of the International Freight Forwarding Company, said that the freight rate on the same route has doubled in the past six months. For foreign trade companies, production cannot be stopped. It is difficult to ship a large amount of goods with orders, and there is great financial pressure. The industry expects that the shortage of containers and space will continue.

Guo Shaohai said that on May 18, 2020, the sea freight from Shanghai to Long Beach on the West Coast of the United States was US$1,550 for a 40-foot container at that time. It was US$4,500 on January 7 this year.

Yan Xianjie, the sales manager of an international cargo company in Shanghai, said that the price of small cabinets will rise to more than US$4,000 per cabinet in the US West, and the US East small cabinets may have to rise to US$6,000 or 7,000, and there may be no space before the new year. . Prices in Europe continue to increase, and large cabinets may rise to US$9,800, and many customers do not have a cabinet for US$10,000.

The comprehensive index of China's export container freight rate is a "barometer" of price changes in the container transportation market. The latest data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange show that on January 8, the comprehensive index of China's export container freight rate reported 1,753.85 points, a record high again. The average in May 2020 is only 837.74 points.

"Lianhe Zaobao" reported on January 8 that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused global port congestion and “unavailable containers”, which in turn pushed up ship freight rates soaring by about 80% within two months. The current increase has not faded.

According to the global container freight rate of Drewry, a shipping consulting company, the freight rate per TEU at the end of last year was US$4,359 (approximately S$5752), which is an increase of 75% from the level of approximately US$2500 in October last year. %.

Prior to this, a container shipping company pointed out that the current European route and Mediterranean route freight rates have reached a record high. Although the European route rises later than the US route, the rise is much faster than the US route. On December 11, the freight rate of the western US route was flat at 3948 US dollars/FEU, and the US eastern route was 4804 US dollars/FEU, which increased slightly by 2.2%, which was also approaching a historical high.

Since the fourth quarter of last year, the freight rate of the Far East to Europe route has soared rapidly. In the past two and a half months, it has risen by 152.39%, which is almost three times the difference from the low of US$725 in late April this year. Since September, the freight rate of the Far East to Europe route has exceeded 1,000 US dollars. Due to the difficulty of finding a container in the container shipping market, the rapid increase in the volume of Asian exports to Europe, and the congestion of British ports, the European line freight rate has begun to surge and is expected to exceed 3,000 US dollars this week. .

How to solve the problem of missing boxes

 

"A box is hard to find" continues to be staged, how can the market relieve the "box worries"?

 

 

The shortage of containers and the sharp increase in freight rates have attracted the attention of market management departments. China's container production and sales account for 96% of the global market, and it has formed an industrial cluster with full product lines, full supply chains, and full technical capabilities. In this regard, Gao Feng, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, stated at a press conference on December 3, 2020 that he will work with relevant departments to promote increased capacity allocation, support accelerated container return transportation, improve operational efficiency, and support container manufacturers to expand production capacity. . At the same time, it will increase the intensity of market supervision, strive to stabilize market prices, and provide logistics support for the steady development of foreign trade.

After experiencing industry losses in 2019 and a shortage of orders in the first half of 2020, container manufacturers have finally ushered in their own busy moments. According to a source from a large domestic container manufacturer, factory employees now have to trot to go to the toilet and eat lunch for only ten minutes, just to speed up the production progress. "We haven't encountered such a good market in many years. The whole industry is stepping up the production of new boxes, and orders have been scheduled until March next year." He said.

Qingdao CIMC Reefer Container Manufacturing Co., Ltd., located in the Shanghe Demonstration Zone in Jiaozhou, is rushing to make container orders in the workshop. "Starting from the third quarter of 2020, we have been running at full capacity to ensure growth and stable production." The relevant person in charge said that the company will gradually resume orders from the third quarter and make every effort to increase production and ensure supply. This trend is expected to continue until 2021 The first quarter.

However, people in the shipping industry predicted that the shortage of containers will continue until the first quarter of 2021. Therefore, there are already large domestic container companies that dare not rush to take orders for the second quarter of 2021.

Now that the market is in short supply, it is completely possible to launch capacity projects, purchase equipment, and let workers work overtime to produce, but in the long run, this will break the balance of supply and demand in the global container market.

At present, the service life of containers is 10 to 15 years. After the rapid one-time release of production capacity, what about next year or the next year? The development of the industrial chain still requires a long stream of water. Therefore, while moderately increasing production capacity, it is also necessary to work hard on container inventory.

For example, major shipping companies are currently stepping up to empty containers from Europe and the United States. In order to ship European and American empty containers back to Asia as soon as possible, some shipping companies in the European and American markets have tried not to take back the cargo, especially the goods exported from the US inland to Asia. If the US grain is exported in the peak season, the container will cost about in and out of the inland. Two weeks, and the grain is heavy cargo, which affects the loading of ships. In October 2020, the German Hapag-Lloyd shipping company (Hapag-Lloyd) publicly announced that it would suspend the shipping of US soybeans and other US agricultural products in containers.

Industry insiders also pointed out that alleviating the pain of the shortage of shipping containers must tap the potential and expand the capacity of the entire industry chain.

On the one hand, the inventory capacity encourages and supports domestic shipping companies to restore their capacity to the pre-epidemic level as quickly as possible. At the same time, they increase the supply of containers by opening overtime ships, deploying ships from other routes, and seeking charters from the market. Domestic shipping and logistics companies should actively coordinate overseas partners and overseas companies to improve the efficiency of international container turnover. Freight forwarders and shipping companies should actively communicate with them, and do a good job in peak-shift transportation planning and scientific management of space.

Not only that, it is necessary to seek a close connection between railway containers and shipping, allowing containers to circulate between continents, thereby reducing the cost of container use. At the policy level, it is possible to increase subsidies for shipping and land transportation companies for container return, and to issue port exchange coupons and merchant special coupons to export companies to help them reduce their freight burden.

In addition, commerce departments and customs should strengthen the supervision and supervision of shipping companies' freight rates, and conduct timely interviews and financial penalties for improper behaviors such as sudden price increases and arbitrarily asking prices.

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

Tianjin Port fully implements electronic container import bill of lading

On January 11, it was learned from the Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission that in order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the important instructions of General Secretary Jinping’s inspection of Tianjin Port, and firmly promote the construction of a world-class port, the Tianjin Port and Shipping Bureau will lead the organization and the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce will jointly participate. The "Electronic Platform for Container Import Bill of Lading" developed and constructed by Tianjin Port Group was officially launched in early January 2021 . So far, the three major paper documents (equipment handover list, packing list, bill of lading) for the circulation of container cargo have all been electronic.

Tianjin Port fully implements electronic container import bill of lading

 

The full implementation of the electronic bill of lading can not only provide comprehensive and multi-angle protection for data flow, but also the whole-process paperless business handling model such as online business authorization, online luggage appointment, check code paperless luggage, etc., which greatly improves the related Optimization effect of business links. On the one hand, the paper document handover link between the freight forwarder and the fleet, the fleet and the driver, and the driver and the dock is eliminated, business links are greatly reduced, and the efficiency of order processing is increased by 75%; on the other hand, the online application of electronic bill of lading solves the problem The problem of "multiple errands" that has plagued customers in the carrying business link for a long time, so that they no longer need to frequently travel between the business acceptance windows of shipping companies, shipping agents, terminals, and yards, saving related companies a lot of time and labor costs , Allowing relevant enterprises to fully appreciate the informatization work tenet of "more data runs, less people run errands".

It is understood that in 2019, Tianjin Port and Shipping Bureau promoted the establishment of a "one-code connection" logistics information data platform for import and export international containers. Tianjin Port relied on this platform to realize the information exchange of various service entities in the import and export link, and completed the container logistics chain. The information flow of links, paper handover documents have been realized paperless. However, the bill of lading, as an important document for the consignee and its agent to pick up the goods, is related to the transfer and handover of the right to pick up the goods. It has a certain effect of the property right certificate. Once an error occurs, it will bring greater risks and there are many circulation links. , The delay in achieving electronicization has become a bottleneck restricting the facilitation of cross-border trade and the improvement of port logistics efficiency.

 

In order to get through the last “mile” that affects the paperless process of port documents, in January 2020, Tianjin Port and Shipping Bureau, Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Tianjin Port Group officially launched the construction of the electronic container import bill of lading project.

In the past year, Tianjin Port and Shipping Bureau, together with Tianjin Port Group and other relevant departments and units, conducted 12 special seminars on business process reengineering, information system construction, and security risk prevention and control related to the electronic bill of lading, and went to Shanghai and other domestic first-class seminars. Port study and research.

The promotion of the overall work has overcome the continuing adverse effects of the epidemic. In just 10 months, the development and construction of a complete set of information platform from concept design, application research, framework development, joint debugging and testing to formal operation was completed. It ranks among the top coastal ports in the country. During this period, under the unified organization and coordination of Tianjin Port and Shipping Bureau, relevant departments and units actively participated, accurately grasped the direction of platform construction and development, fully prepared platform operation preparations, and completed the first actual ship test on November 17, 2020 . Based on full access to test data and feedback from related shipping companies (shipping agents), freight forwarders, and port companies, the platform will be launched for trial operation on December 1, 2020, to further smooth the loading, unloading and transportation links of Tianjin Port and shore, and continue to improve the business chain The overall level of digitalization provides strong support to effectively enhance the port’s comprehensive service capabilities, continuously optimize the port’s business environment, and give full play to the important role of Tianjin Port in serving the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the “Belt and Road” strategy to provide a strong digital guarantee !

/ By TJ China Freight / Shipping

What causes the lack of containers in shipping companies

Maritime shipping companies lack box What does it mean? Chinese exports to Europe more than is light cargo, the widespread use of large container loaded cabinet, a cabinet hard situation  as more and more obvious. After the peak season of foreign trade, the export of goods soared, and the original inventory of empty boxes could not meet the requirements of the booker, resulting in a shortage of goods and a shortage of boxes.

How should shippers correct the shortage of containers in shipping companies?

1. The foreign trade factory should prepare the goods quickly, book the space in advance as much as possible, and notify the freight forwarder or the car dealer as soon as possible after receiving the notice of the release , so that you can know which yard to pick up the container and when to put it Make a response plan in advance for information such as whether the cabinet is lacking, whether the cabinet is picked up from another place.

2. In case of shortage of cabinets, you can apply for the designated cabinet with the shipping company in advance, that is, book the cabinet number when booking. After the goods are ready, go to the storage yard to pick up the cabinet of the container number for loading, but the designated cabinet needs to pay the shipping company's designated operating fee.

3. The storage yard can be proved by the same reason.

4. If there are no cabinets to pick up, check a few more storage yards. For cabinets that are slightly damaged in the storage yard, spend some money on the storage yard and ask them to repair and refresh them. You can also mention the cabinets.
What causes the lack of containers in shipping companies? Taijie to help you understand the lack of containers in foreign trade
5. When booking the space, confirm with the shipping company whether there is a shortage of containers. If there is a shortage of containers, you can change to another shipping company to book.

6. If the designated shipping company cannot be replaced, measure the quantity and volume of the cargo to see if it can be replaced by other container types. Or use a freeze-drying cabinet (NOR).

7. Normally maintain the relationship between the customers, and discuss and settle any problems.
What causes the lack of containers in shipping companies? Taijie helps you understand the lack of containers in foreign trade
Shenzhen Taijie kindly reminds you to confirm with the shipping company whether there is a shortage of containers when booking. Let's talk about why the box is missing?

We all know that China is a country with a trade surplus. Imports and exports are unbalanced. This leads to fewer imported containers and more exported containers. Container ships often burst out and enter half-cabins. If the shipping company fails to arrange the return of the backlog of empty containers in time, there will be fewer mobile containers and boxes. Due to the bankruptcy of a small number of shipping companies, or the serious damage to the cabinets of some shipping companies, some of the cabinets that should be used for mobile were once crushed and unusable. The peak season effect has exploded, causing the export of goods to soar. The amount of empty containers originally planned to be adjusted and stored cannot meet the requirements of the booker, resulting in short supply and shortage of containers.

With the implementation of the National One Belt One Road policy and the convening of the BRIC Conference, the overall shipping market demand has risen, the demand is greater than expected, the industry is picking up rapidly, and the supply of boxes is in short supply. The adjustment of the box has a certain lag, and it will take some time to solve it . The foreign environment is severe. Workers' strikes, port congestion, hurricanes, and ship schedule delays have caused the slow return of empty containers. If the container management department cannot respond in time, there will be extreme shortages of containers if the dispatch is not good. In addition, in order to maintain the relationship with major customers, shipping companies will reserve boxes for VIP customers. In the case of shortage of boxes, some ordinary customers cannot pick them up.