Shipping Archives

February 18, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

Congestion in West America worsens!

Recently, a cold wave swept the United States and quickly plunged the southern state of Texas into disaster. In this unprecedented cold wave, more than 4 million people in the United States have suffered power outages, countless power plants have been destroyed, and electricity and natural gas prices have skyrocketed. ; At present, the price of electricity in Texas has increased by more than 100 times, up to 9,000 US dollars per megawatt, and the price of natural gas has skyrocketed by more than 160 times, reaching US$500, compared with only US$3 in the past; it is jaw-dropping.

Except for Texas, which is in a serious disaster, other states in the United States are not doing well. There are about 168 million people in the United States under the threat of this cold wave. Numerous airports have been suspended. According to data from the flight monitoring website "flightaware", Dallas and Houston , Austin area airports have cancelled more than 2,000 inbound and outbound flights on the 15th . Coupled with the new crown pneumonia crisis that is still raging across the United States, the United States is really miserable.

In terms of shipping, the Southern California anchorage is full of container ships, and the congestion continues to worsen ! The latest video released by the U.S. Coast Guard provides intuitive evidence of the congestion levels in Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. From the picture, a large number of container ships are moored at the anchorage in San Pedro Bay, California.

Congestion in West America worsens! Aerial photography of Southern California full of container ships! Terminal operators expect to get rid of the dilemma by the end of spring — U.S. Coast Guard aerial scene

Data shows that the historic container ship congestion in California ports has not really eased. There are currently 63 container ships in Los Angeles and Long Beach, and 32 container ships are waiting for berths at anchorages. (On February 1st, the highest record of 40 container ships anchored at anchorage)

The Port of Los Angeles announced the number of berth days for a particular container ship through its Signal platform last week. Data shows that some ships stay at anchorage and wait for almost as long as they sail across the Pacific Ocean . For example, as of last Thursday, the 6332TEU container ship "Ever Envoy" has been parked for 11 days. As of Tuesday, the 9,400TEU "MSC Romane" has been parked for 12 days. And the three container ships of 11356TEU "CMA CGM Andromeda", 8452 TEU "Ever Liven" and 4888TEU "NYK Nebula" also berthed for 11 days as of last week.

As of the end of 2020, the number of container ships at anchor has increased to 30; since then, it has remained between 20 and 40. At the same time, the number of vessels at berths in Los Angeles and Long Beach remained at around 20 and 30. Kip Louttit, executive director of the Southern California Shipping Exchange, said: "We seem to have adapted to the new normal of about 30 container ships waiting in line every day. I don't know if this situation will continue."

As of Tuesday, the average time for ships docking in Los Angeles was 8 days , up from 7.3 days at the beginning of last week. From the information on the waiting time of ships provided by the platform from January 27th, the waiting time for ships to berth has been maintained for about one week, and the data for the last two periods has been extended to 8 days.

　　The latest data from the Signal platform: 20 ships at anchor, with an average anchoring time of 8.0 days. There are 14 ships waiting to be pre-anchored.

What caused the blockage? The extended berthing time of ships forced some shipping companies to cancel multiple voyages this month. This is not due to lack of cargo demand, but due to lack of available vessels to handle these services. Delays on land have also caused congestion at sea: extremely high inbound volumes and complex logistics inside and outside the port have caused delays on land. One of the challenges facing the port is the new crown virus infection of dockers and a serious shortage of labor.

Despite productivity gains last month, terminal operators at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach said the ports may have to wait until the end of spring to get rid of the ship backlog and congestion that have plagued them in the past six months . The near-record number of containers will continue into the spring of this year, but the backlog of ships at the port and the fully loaded inbound containers at the terminal should disappear sometime between April and June.

The managers of SSA Marine, Yusen Terminals and Fenix Marine stated that in order to alleviate the congestion in the port, two projects to be developed are necessary. First, the COVID-19 vaccine must be widely distributed among dock workers to alleviate the recent labor shortage. During the Lunar New Year holiday this month, container traffic has declined moderately, which should also enable shipping terminals to remove the backlog of fully loaded imported containers from their facilities.

"The terminals are full and there is no place to put these containers. We deliver 35% less cargo (to truck drivers) than usual," said Ed Dannick, president of SSA Containers.

According to data from the HarborTrucking Association, the average truck stay at the terminal in January improved from 93 minutes in December to 88 minutes, but it was still much higher than the record low of 58 minutes in June. Imports peaked during the recovery period after the first wave of COVID-19 lockdown.

The backlog of ships in Long Beach, Los Angeles, is increasing unabated. According to statistics from the Marine Exchange of Southern California, there are currently 63 container ships in the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles, of which 32 are at anchor waiting for berths and 31 are at berths.

The latest data released by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) shows that in December last year, the average container stay time at the 12 terminals of the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles was 4.99 days. This is twice the average length of stay (approximately 2.5 days) recorded by PMSA in the first half of 2020.

“The longer the container stays at the terminal, the more serious the congestion will be. When the container piles up like a mountain, the congestion creates additional and inefficient handling requirements,” said PMSA’s government affairs manager jessicaalvarenga.

The new crown epidemic hits labor in the port

According to the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), the West Coast port employers' Association and the International Terminal and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the new crown epidemic has severely affected the labor force along the Los Angeles-Long Beach Port. As of January 17, The International Terminal and Warehouse Union (ILWU) reported that 694 of its members tested positive. By January 25, this number jumped to 803.

PMA stated that there is a particular shortage of skilled equipment operators, who need to remove containers from trucks, and then move them into and out of the container yard, which is critical to the operation of the terminal. As a result, the joint committee of PMA and ILWU, which is responsible for allocating workers to the docks on a daily basis, cut the allocation share.

"It boils down to the labor issue at the terminal," said Scott Weiss, vice president of business development at Port Logistics Group, which has a large number of truck and warehouse operations throughout Southern California. "Containers still have bottlenecks in and out of the terminal."

The latest information released by the Signal platform of the Port of Los Angeles shows that due to the new crown epidemic, the productivity of coastal labor has decreased, which has caused ship delays and the average delay of port facilities is 8.0 days .

These ports are working with trans-Pacific shipping companies to reduce Southern California's load until the volume returns to normal. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said that he is working with shipping companies and terminal operators to "measure" imports until the port catches up. Hapag-Lloyd (Hapag-Lloyd) has announced the opening of a structured route to Southern California in February, and CMA CGM will remove Los Angeles from the trans-Pacific route and use Oakland as the first port of call from Asia. , Followed by Seattle-Tacoma.

The terminal operator said that when workers throughout the supply chain are vaccinated and imports drop, the congestion in Long Beach, Los Angeles, will disappear.

Spring recovery?

Alan McCorkle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yusen Terminals in Los Angeles, said that in the past six months, the container throughput of these terminals was close to record levels, but there was no overall congestion. This fact shows that if the peak season does not last for six consecutive months, they will have Ability to handle peak season cargo volume. He expects to return to normal in May or June.

Scott Schoenfeld, general manager of Fenix Marine Services in Los Angeles, said that Fenix is showing signs of improvement, so he is optimistic that congestion may be eased as early as April . The density of containers in the yard is not as high as late last year, and more truck drivers are able to transport containers every day.

However, container traffic is still rising, and as overloaded ships continue to arrive in Southern California, this trend will continue until at least next month. NVOCC consultant Jon Monroe said that the eastbound transpacific shipping company has deployed or will add 10 additional loading vessels in February, all deployed at the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach. Judging from the latest data from the Los Angeles Signal platform, there was another peak in the surge in volume in the eighth week.

Volume surged in the eighth week

Jon Monroe pointed out that although more Chinese factories will continue to maintain at least part of their business this month to clear the backlog of merchandise orders compared to previous years, the total volume of the East Pacific trans-Pacific region should be greater than the previous six months. Months are less.

Scott Weiss, vice president of business development at Port Logistics Group, said that the 1.8 billion square feet of industrial and distribution space throughout Southern California is not fully loaded, just like last fall before the holiday season merchandise was transferred to stores across the country. However, the availability of space in warehouses and distribution facilities has been mixed. "Some warehouses are in a mess now, others are working well. I think the ratio is about 50-50,"

Scott Weiss said that productivity has generally declined, and warehouses across the region are experiencing labor shortages due to the new crown epidemic, but at the same time, freight volumes are still exceptionally strong. "Everyone I contacted is experiencing record sales and growth, but everyone is working hard to cope."

Weston LaBar, CEO of the Port Transportation Association, said that the current truck capacity is tight, and the availability of workers at both ends of the truck driver's route, the terminal and the distribution warehouse, has been challenged . However, when workers feel safe, they return in large numbers. LaBar said: "The most effective thing we can do right now is to vaccinate."

February 5, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

The Port of Los Angeles is also missing container!

For most of 2020, the Port of Los Angeles has been struggling to deal with the problem of container surplus. Now that there has been a dramatic turning point, the Port of Los Angeles has also experienced a shortage of containers.

The Port of Los Angeles is also missing boxes!

According to the latest statistics from Container xChange, a professional organization in the container monitoring field, the Container Availability Index for 40-foot containers in the Port of Los Angeles has dropped to 0.29.

Container xChange’s marketing director explained: “In the 49th week of 2020, the port’s availability index value for 20-foot containers and 40-foot containers plummeted to 0.27. Compared with the average index from week 1 to week 8 of 2020, these two Both containers dropped by 57%."

It is understood that when the container availability index is 0.5, it represents market balance. If it is less than 0.5, it represents a shortage of containers.

This means that the Port of Los Angeles has a serious shortage of containers.

In the previous Port of Los Angeles, due to the large increase in import volume and the epidemic factor, the port was congested on a large scale, and the efficiency of container turnover was very slow. At the peak, 10,000-15,000 containers were stranded at the terminal, and normal operations were severely affected.

According to a research report jointly issued by Container xChange and FraunhoferCML, a maritime logistics research organization, in the third quarter of 2020, there will be approximately 1.5 million containers in the United States with a turnover time of more than 115 days, while the normal average time should be less than 80 days.

Previously, due to the large backlog of containers in the Port of Los Angeles affecting the supply chain, liner companies conducted large-scale empty container deployment to ensure the normal operation of trans-Pacific routes.

As empty containers continue to be shipped back to the Asian market, the situation at the Port of Los Angeles has undergone a dramatic turn.

The industry also analyzes that the current shortage of containers in the Port of Los Angeles is related to the serious port congestion, the imbalance of market supply and demand, and the labor shortage caused by the outbreak of the Los Angeles Port.

Container xChange CEO Johannes Schlingmeier previously stated that since the summer of 2020, the U.S. container transportation supply chain has been under pressure, and the Port of Los Angeles is facing labor shortages caused by the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.

Lars Jensen, CEO of Sea Intelligence, an industry consulting firm, believes: "The main reason for the lack of containers is port congestion."

Regarding when the container shortage will be resolved, Container xChange predicts: "In the next few weeks, as every link in the trans-Pacific route supply chain will face tremendous pressure, container supply will fluctuate further."

Nerijus Poskus, vice president of shipping at Flexport in the United States, believes that the shortage of containers may improve in the second half of 2021.

Lars Jensen said that the lack of containers in the Port of Los Angeles should be resolved before the summer of 2021.

He further explained: "After the international financial crisis in 2008, we also experienced a shortage of containers. The shortage of containers in 2010 took about 3 months from the appearance to the resolution. If we put it now Under the same background, it means that the current lack of containers in the Port of Los Angeles may also be resolved soon."

January 28, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

Refuse to load goods! The shipping company is shipping the empty containers back to China… The problem of missing containers is solved!

In recent days, the shipping industry has been in a panic due to the shortage of containers, and ocean freight has soared abnormally, which has affected the supply chain of the manufacturing industry.

However, currently, according to an indicator that tracks global shipping containers, the global shipping shortage seems to be showing signs of easing.

Refuse to load goods! The shipping company is shipping the empty containers back to China... The problem of missing containers is solved!

The "Available Container Index" developed by the online platform Container xChange shows that this index can be maintained between 0.35 and 0.38 until the Chinese New Year in mid-February.

This index: if it falls at 0.5, it means that the supply and demand of containers is in balance; if it is lower than 0.5, it means that the supply of containers is in short supply; if it is higher than 0.5, it means that the supply is oversupply.

When the shortage of containers was the most serious last month, the index fell to an ultra-low level of 0.06 to 0.13 depending on the size of the container, and the index began to rebound this month.

It is reported that the imbalance of container shortages in 2020 will be particularly serious in Shanghai. As the Chinese factories resumed production after the epidemic eased, the demand for goods exported to the United States surged, but no empty containers were found to deliver goods out of the port.

But Container xChange said that the situation is now moving towards a normal level .

"One of the main reasons for the improvement in the imbalance between supply and demand is that the shipping industry has made every effort to transport a large number of empty containers from the world's major congested ports back to China. The Lunar New Year may become a turning point for the lack of containers. The Lunar New Year holiday starts on February 11. "

According to media reports, at present, many shipping companies are eager to ship empty containers back to China from the Port of Los Angeles in the United States and refuse to carry American goods. This has largely alleviated the current shortage of containers, but it has caused the export of American agricultural products to suffer.

For this reason, the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has stated that it will investigate shipping companies' refusal to load American agricultural products and transport empty containers to them. If the investigation is unreasonable, it will impose a fine.

US financial website CNBC reported that from October to November last year, it was the peak season for American agricultural products exports. Shipping companies refused to carry hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American agricultural products exports, and would rather take the time to ship empty containers back to mainland China ports to load profits. Higher Chinese export products.

So FMC launched an investigation and reviewed data from several key ports in California, New York, and New Jersey to find out whether the shipping company’s refusal to carry violated the Maritime Act.

According to FMC's survey, data from the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, New York and the Port of New Jersey, in October and November last year, it is estimated that as many as 178,000 standard containers were rejected. CNBC estimated the value of the affected agricultural products based on the export price of each TEU soybean/oil seed/grain item on the U.S. Bureau of Statistics website in the Port of Los Angeles.

However, industry insiders said that although shipping companies’ refusal to carry US agricultural products has caused losses to US exports, it has indeed alleviated the shortage of containers in global shipping to a certain extent in the near future, which is expected to be alleviated in the Lunar New Year.

January 27, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

What is “LCL” and “Loss Freight”?

In international trade, companies often fail to ship goods due to various reasons, so they have to bear the corresponding LCL costs. The most important thing is that many shippers are not very aware of these costs, so they are hard to guard against. Today, the editor and everyone will learn about some relevant knowledge about the loss of shipping LCL during cargo transportation.

What is LCL?

CL CARGO= LESS CONTAINER LOAD, LCL cargo refers specifically to small-ticket cargo that is less than a full container (20'/40/45). Usually, the bulk cargo consolidator (consolidator) collects the cargo separately and collects it at the container freight station or inland site, and then consolidates the cargo with two or more votes into one container, also at the destination container freight station Or the inland station unpacks and delivers separately.

For this kind of goods, the carrier has to bear the packing and unpacking operations, and the packing and unpacking fees are still charged to the cargo party. The carrier’s responsibility for LCL cargo is basically the same as that of traditional grocery transportation.

What is the LCL shipping fee?

In the process of LCL export by sea, after 11:00 noon on the working day before the order cut-off date, the cargo cannot be shipped in time due to the reason of the booking person, resulting in the vacant space of the LCL company, and the LCL company will order The fee charged by the cabin crew to make up for the loss.

How to calculate the loss fee?

The calculation of the loss fee is based on the cost of the vacant space. The specific calculation formula is the loss fee = booking billing cubic x (full container shipping fee + full container shipping port fee)/standard cubic number.

Note: Standard cubic number: 25/20' 50/40' 60/40'HQ

Common reasons and preventive measures for loss of cabin charges:

(1) The owner of the cargo is too late to enter the warehouse or the person who temporarily cancels the shipment and the booking person fails to cancel the booking timely. Precautions: Please keep the freight forwarder regularly in communication with the owner before the customs cut-off date, and provide timely feedback. And inform the owner that he has the responsibility to notify, otherwise it will incur damages.

(2) A larger proportion of super square/reduced square/overweight. Precaution: Please ask the freight forwarder to ask the owner of the consignment to be consistent with the actual cargo as much as possible, and notify in time if there is any change.

(3) After the goods have entered the warehouse, it is found that the characteristics or specifications of the goods cannot be carried, such as "liquid/dangerous goods/oversized and overweight items". Precautions: Please inform the freight forwarder that liquid/dangerous goods/semi-dangerous goods will not be accepted. Oversized and heavy items must be confirmed in advance.　　

(4) The customs inspection resulted in the inability to ship in time. Precaution: Please ask the freight forwarder to require the owner of the declaration to be consistent with the bill, the documents, and the goods. If the customs has any questions, please cooperate with the customs broker of the forwarding company to reply to the customs in a timely and clear manner. What are the requirements of the customs to cooperate as much as possible to ensure timely shipment of goods.　

In short, the most important thing for the prevention of LCL loss costs is to maintain close and good communication between the owner and the freight forwarder. At the same time, the freight forwarder is dedicated to solving the problem for the shipper in time, and the shipper must also trust the forwarder and meet frankly.

January 27, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

Container shortage or turning point

Container xChange said that the shortage of container equipment that has lasted for several months is expected to end because the container availability index (CAx) is undergoing positive changes.

According to Container xChange analysis, the Chinese New Year may become a turning point , with the 20-foot and 40-foot dry cargo index increasing to 0.34 and 0.37 respectively, indicating that the availability of empty containers is much higher than last month. CAx data comes from millions of containers tracked by Container xChange. Container xChange CEO Johannes Schlingmeier said: “An index of 0.5 indicates market balance, and a value below 0.5 indicates a shortage of containers.” Container xChange pointed out that although the latest data in January was well below 0.5, indicating that there is still a shortage of container equipment, but 20 feet and The 40-foot container data has begun to approach the normal container shortage level in China's main export markets.

David Amezquita, the company's director of data, said:

Compared with December 2020, the availability of 20-foot containers in January 2021 has increased by 37.5%, and the availability of 40-foot containers has increased by 200%, which is a positive trend.

Data from xChange shows that in the past few months, there has been an extreme shortage of containers across China. In Shanghai, which has always been in short supply, the index reached a record low in December 2020, of which the 40-foot container availability index was only 0.13. The company said that as China's container manufacturing plants are running at full capacity to expand production capacity, coupled with the shipping company's efforts to transport empty containers back to China, the Chinese New Year may become an important turning point.

With the substantial increase in container supply, Shanghai Port's container availability index is returning to normal levels. Other ports in China are also undergoing positive changes. Taking Qingdao Port as an example, the availability index of a 20-foot container even reached 0.5. The container availability index of other major Asian hub ports such as Singapore Port, Navassiwa Port and Port Klang also showed the same trend. Compared with December 2020, the availability index of standard containers at the Port of Singapore in January 2021 has increased by 58%, Port Nawahiwa has increased by 35%, and Port Klang has increased by 54%.

There are signs that the container availability index will remain stable in the coming weeks. Until mid-February, the availability of 20-foot boxes will stabilize at around 0.35, and the availability of 40-foot boxes will stabilize at around 0.38.

January 26, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

“When the pressure on the maritime supply chain can be eased, no one can say”

In the past two months, the cost of transporting goods from China to Europe has more than quadrupled, hitting a record high, due to the pandemic disrupting global trade and the shortage of empty containers.

Data from shippers and importers show that the freight for transporting a 40-foot container from Asia to Northern Europe has risen from approximately US$2,000 in November last year to more than US$9,000.

Lars Jensen, CEO of maritime consulting company SeaIntelligence, said that the reason for the increase in freight rates is the market's competition for limited resources-containers.

In the first half of 2020, due to a sudden slowdown in global trade due to the epidemic blockade, shipping companies have suspended large-scale shipping and thousands of empty containers are stranded in Europe and the United States. In the second half of the year, when Western countries' demand for Asian-made goods rebounded, competition among shippers for available containers pushed up freight rates.

John Butler, Chairman of the World Shipping Council, said, "The freight volume has dropped from a sharp decline to soaring to the highest level in history, and the effective handling capacity of the terminal has exceeded the upper limit."

He added that the congestion in the port has caused freight rates to rise, and shipping companies charge additional fees to compensate for the longer waiting time.

"When the pressure on the maritime supply chain can be eased, no one can say"

British freight forwarding company Edge Worldwide CEO Philip Edge said that some shipping companies charge US$12,000 per container, much higher than the US$2,000 in October last year.

The British Household Electrical Appliance Manufacturers Association stated in a statement, “According to member companies’ disclosures, shipping costs have increased by more than 300% since 2020. Especially for some commodities, the increase in shipping costs has exceeded the net increase Profit. Therefore, these costs will have to be passed on to the end user."

The owner of a leisure goods importer in Manchester said that the shortage of containers is having a “huge impact” on his business, and some orders placed in November are still waiting to be shipped. "The question is, is it to pay $12,000 now and pass the cost on to the customer, or to wait at the risk of exhausting inventory?"

Economists say that such interruptions and delays are beginning to affect global supply chains. Neil Shearing, chief economist at Capital Economics, said that "transportation pressure is accumulating and may increase further."

A recent survey by IHS Markit found that in December last year, the delivery time of manufacturing suppliers in the Eurozone reached the worst level since the peak of the pandemic lockdown in April. Shipping delays and general commodity shortages were "widely mentioned" by suppliers. .

The companies surveyed stated that they are consuming inventory of raw materials and semi-finished products, resulting in a decline in inventory.

Bert Colijn, senior economist at ING, said that "supply shortages and rising freight rates may slightly curb trade growth."

On the occasion of the Chinese New Year in February, the Asian manufacturing industry slowed down. Shipping companies hope to use this time to solve the problem of increasing backlog orders, which will temporarily cool freight rates.

However, BIMCO chief shipping analyst Peter Sand said that the shortage of containers may continue for a long time in 2021. Although the shipping company has ordered new containers, in his opinion, such a move is "too small and too late."

Lars Jensen also believes that although freight rates may drop slightly, "there are still a lot of goods waiting to be transported."

John Butler pointed out that only when epidemic-related restrictions are reduced and people have more diverse service choices, the pressure on the maritime supply chain can be alleviated, but no one can say when it can be improved.

January 26, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

The imbalance between supply and demand of air cargo continues, and the shortage of freighter capacity causes price increases and delays

The air cargo market has ushered in a new year, but there is no sign of cooling. International transportation activities usually weaken after the holiday season, but due to the unusual air transportation mode and the severe shortage of air transportation caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, demand and freight rates remain high.

The logistics company expects that the air cargo volume will not decline before the Spring Festival, because the manufacturer plans to continue operations during the traditional holidays.

The latest comprehensive statistics of World ACD and CLIVE Data Services in December show that compared with 2019, air cargo volume has fallen by only 3.7% to 5% respectively. These data show that the air cargo industry has recovered a lot since it bottomed out in May last year, when demand dropped by nearly 40%.

The demand for air transportation is largely driven by continuous inventory replenishment, the inventory-to-sales ratio of consumer goods is close to the lowest level in history, and a saturated marine container market. Analysts and logistics providers said that the congestion of ports and railways and the shortage of empty containers continue to push up shipping prices and cause serious delays, especially for main routes from Asia, which promotes a further increase in aviation demand.

The goods sought for air transportation include automotive equipment, consumer goods purchased online, and medical supplies related to COVID-19. Airplanes are also used to transport the new crown vaccine, because a large number of vaccines are transported by land, and sometimes only a few containers are needed for each flight, so it is not clear how many ordinary goods they replace. Nevertheless, when the capacity is tight, the vaccine will be given priority to board the plane.

San Francisco-based freight forwarding company Flexport said in a customer advisory update report that the remaining demand for game consoles and smartphone product releases in the fourth quarter will increase capacity constraints by mid-February.

Bruce Chan, vice president of global logistics at investment bank Stifel, said in a monthly comment that shippers are also more inclined to use air operations as an inventory buffer because their forecasting models have been completely overturned by the epidemic. He wrote: “Predicting consumption patterns and when they will stabilize is a huge fear, and the path forward is hardly linear, especially when the new coronavirus reignites and the government further implements blockades and border closures.”

In addition, many Chinese manufacturers announced that they will continue production during the Lunar New Year period from February 12 to 26. Factories are usually closed for 10 days or longer so that workers can celebrate with their families, but because the Chinese government encourages workers to celebrate the New Year on the spot, many factories will continue to operate this year. Flexport said this could create a backlog, as many freighter flights were cancelled a few weeks ago due to the expected full transport. Any backlog will depend on whether the factory continues to produce or take vacations at home.

The demand for air freight is so strong that experts predict that by the end of March the market will return to the level before the epidemic. This trend is in sharp contrast to the passenger traffic of the aviation industry, which is expected to remain sluggish until vaccination becomes more common in the second half of the year. Even then, the recovery of international travel may be slower, which means fewer aircraft for long-distance trade. Aviation industry officials said they don’t expect a full recovery until 2024.

Globally, freight rates are more than twice what they were a year ago, and freight rates from China to Europe and the United States are 2.5 times what they were a year ago. According to data from digital sales platforms, market information services and freight forwarders, the aircraft on these routes are full.

According to World ACD data, the average freight rate soared by 80% in December last year, from US$1.80 per kilogram to US$3.27 per kilogram, the highest year-on-year increase since May last year, but it fell by 10% since January this year.

Freight rates are under tremendous pressure, because although more all-cargo operators have added freighters and flights, global capacity is still about 20% lower than 2019 levels. The main culprit is the insufficient supply of wide-body passenger aircraft on international routes, most of which are still grounded due to the poor travel market. In fact, with the strict implementation of travel restrictions, airlines will reduce flights in the first quarter. For example, Air Canada and WestJet suspended 25% and 30% of their system capacity in the first quarter.

According to data from the International Civil Aviation Organization, the global all-cargo fleet increased by 22.4% to 673 aircraft in 2020. Airlines continue to increase capacity, including improved aircraft from passenger airlines, but this is not enough, because the space shortage is three to four times the decline in demand, and the gap may be even greater in the short term.

In the past month, Qatar Airways has added three Boeing 777 freighters to its fleet, and China Airlines and AirBridgeCargo have each added a factory-built aircraft. Swiss International Air Lines has added Seoul, South Korea and Lima, Peru to its cargo network. The flight from Zurich will be operated by a 777-300 extended-range passenger aircraft dedicated to cargo. The flight from Zurich will be operated by a 777-300 extended-range passenger aircraft dedicated to cargo.

In the past year, many freight forwarders have greatly increased the use of dedicated charter flights to ensure that they can provide transport capacity to their customers. German logistics giant DB Schenker significantly expanded its private aviation network last week. Now it has two routes, connecting Europe, Asia and North America for the first time. The cargo management company controls a total of 43 Boeing 747 or 777 freighter flights every week-equivalent to the space of a 135 wide-body airliner. Munich Airport is the hub for DB Schenker's intercontinental cargo between the United States and Asia.

January 19, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

A Guide to Sea Freight Shipping from China

Sea freight is the largest method of shipping for international import and export business. Competitive prices and multiple options make sea freight the first choice for global trade. When it comes to shipping from China, businesses need experienced freight forwarders like our team at Supreme Freight who are familiar with transporting for companies of differing sizes as well as to a wealth of countries. As a China freight agent, we hope that you are able to gain something from the knowledge and experience shared in this article.

Trade Terms

Get accustomed to all the codes and terminology with our simple breakdown:

Incoterms – A term given to one of the common terms of trade. When applied to buying goods from China, there are four incoterms. Each of the incoterms are assigned a code relating to how far the suppliers transport the shipment to. The codes of these incoterms are as follows:

EXW – Transport as far as the factory/manufacturer

FOB – Transport as far as a nearby port in China

CIF – Transport to a nearby port in your country

DAP/DDU – Transfer to your place of business

The codes can be split into two further categories:

EXW/FOB Category – The buyer can utilise your own freight agent and liaise with them directly regarding payment.
The Other Category – The buyer uses their own freight company and your company subsidises that.

When looking for a freight forwarder, it is important that you understand these terms and codes to enable them to know your requirements when shipping your goods to China.

Container Types

It is important to know the following commonly used container types:

20’GP – Allows for 20ft of storage. 20’GP is designed to carry more weight than voluminous cargo. E.g. Minerals, metal and machinery
40’GP – Allows for 40ft of storage. 40’GP is designed to carry more voluminous cargo than heavy cargo. E.g. Furniture, tyres, and toys
40’HC – Allows for 40ft of storage for shipments of a great height.

Although the volume of the 40’ containers are double the volume of the 20’, they are still bound to the same weight restriction that China applies to its exports which is no more than 27-28 tons. The ocean rates for a 40’ container shipped from China are less than two 20’ containers and it is no extra cost from a 40’ container for a 40’HC.

Freight forwarders are also knowledgeable of these commonly used container types. Knowing this information upfront will allow the freight forwarder to help and advise you with the right service.

Shipment Type

Shipment types come in the following two categories:

Full Container Load (FCL) – In which a company fills a whole container with their own goods. Containers can be from 20 – 45 feet long.
Less than Container Load (LCL) – Where different companies share the same container and load their shipments into it. This would then get split once it reaches port.

In order to ascertain what shipment type is best for your business you need to consider the packaging that your shipment requires whilst being transported, if you select an LCL, would it be better for your shipment to use a courier or decide whether it is possible to use an FCL.

Major Ports

Each port has a different charge for FCL and LCL containers. The breakdown of the Chinese ports are as follows:

Shanghai – This major city enjoys the most economically developed of everything. From where it is located, it serves interior provinces via river ports along the waterway that extends from it.
Shenzen – This port is accessible to Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta making it another key port for the South of China.
Ningbo-Zhousan – This port serves both Ningbo, which has good connections with Central and Western China and Zhejiang, a wealthy region with a manufacturing industry.
Hong Kong – Fastly expanding into the ‘international shipping service hub of the Far East,’ Hong Kong provides 340 container liner services per week, connecting to around 470 destinations worldwide.
Guangzhou – Historically, a key centre of trade in China, the port is striving to be the international shipment hub for the Maritime Silk Road component. It is a port that provides options for importers, exporters, third party logistic companies and ocean carriers with its reduced port and berthing fees.
Qingdao – The most important port of Northern China. It is located next to the Bohai Bay region of which it serves.
Tianjin – This port is second only to Qingdao port in capacity in Northern China. The port’s container handling business are developing additional domestic and international routes.
Xiamen – The port is located at the mouth of the Jiulongjiang River and has over 68 shipping routes to over 50 countries including Kaohsiung in Taiwan.
Dalian – This port is located at the most northern ice-free port of China and is the largest port in North East China serving seaports in East Asia, North Asia, and the Pacific Rim.

Researching into the port that best serves where your shipment will be transported to, will enable your freight forwarder to connect you with our most suitable partners.

For a consultation and advice on your shipment, get in touch with us and we will do our best to help.

January 14, 2021 / 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%

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

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.

January 4, 2021 / By TJ China Freight / Shipping

5 Tips on How To Choose a Freight Forwarder

Last week we looked at the question, “Can anyone be a freight forwarder?”

how to choose a freight forwarder Hariesh commented on our blog, as well as mentioning in his own, that “any Tom, Dick, or Harry can call themselves a Freight Forwarder.”

Of course, you don’t want any Tom, Dick, or Harry handling your imports and exports. It’s important your freight forwarder knows how to handle your international shipping.

With all the freight forwarders that are out there, and the surprising ease to call yourself a freight forwarder, how do you go about choosing a freight forwarder whom you can be confident in?

Well, today’s blog covers just that. Here are 5 tips on how to choose a freight forwarder.

1. MAKE SURE THE FREIGHT FORWARDER HAS EXPERIENCE.
This could almost be the whole list. Experience, experience, experience.

It might be fairly easy to start a freight forwarding company, but the international shipping industry is not the easiest business sector in the world and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you won’t last long.

During TJ China Freight’s 27+ years as a freight forwarder, we’ve seen many, many company’s come and go.

Years of experience means your freight forwarder has dealt with different situations like dockworker strikes and port shutdowns, needs for rerouting cargo, smoothing out customs or warehousing issues, and so on.

Experience usually means your freight forwarder will help you avoid customs, warehousing, and routing problems before they even start so your international shipping will go smoothly.

Experience also gives time for a company to form and cultivate business relations around the world from which you will benefit. Which brings us to…

2. ASK ABOUT THE FREIGHT FORWARDER’S NETWORK OF AGENTS AND BUSINESS PARTNERS IN THE COUNTRY YOU’RE EXPORTING TO OR IMPORTING FROM.
This is obviously important for the local handling of your international shipments.

Your freight forwarder should have a strong network around the world, but you need to know that they have the connections in the countries/cities of origin and destination for your imports and exports.

If you’re exporting and importing to and from Germany, it doesn’t matter how good the freight forwarder’s connections are in China.

TJ China Freight has a very large network and ships to and from almost anywhere in the world; however, you may have noticed a key word in there: almost. There are a few places in the world TJ China Freight does not ship to or from.

You may have found a freight forwarder who is great for shipping to the Philippines, but don’t have the connections or experience to do a great job handling your imports from China. So make sure you ask about your freight forwarder’s connections and experience in the specific locations you need.

Business partnerships around the world also allow your freight forwarder to offer additional services, which brings us to…

3. MAKE SURE THE FREIGHT FORWARDER OFFERS THE SERVICES YOU NEED FOR YOUR SHIPMENT.
Look at the services the freight forwarder offers.

A freight forwarder should be able to handle more than just the air shipping or ocean shipping part of your import or export. They should also be able to handle the rail and/or trucking portion of your international shipping.

I guess if you only need port to port services instead of door to door shipping, you wouldn’t find it a big deal whether or not the freight forwarder offers this service; however, if they do not have a trucking option, that says something about the freight forwarder’s network.

However, there are more services you may want from your freight forwarder. For example, TJ China Freight partnered with TOLL to offer Supply Chain Value Added Services. This means we can help you with things like warehousing, distribution, etc.

Of course, cargo insurance better be among their services and shipment tracking is nice to have if only for your peace of mind.

4. MAKE SURE THE FREIGHT FORWARDER HAS GOOD REFERENCES.
This is good advice when you’re looking for any kind of service, not just freight forwarding.

If there’s no one willing to say a freight forwarder did a great job taking care of their imports and exports, that’s a big red flag.

5. MAKE SURE THE FREIGHT FORWARDER HAS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
This is hugely important.

How fast does the freight forwarder get back to you on your freight rate request or on answering your questions?

If you’re new to international shipping, are they able and willing to walk you through what you need to know and do to make sure all goes well with your imports and exports?

Your sales person at a freight forwarding company may not have all the answers to your questions as they might be new to the company or even the industry, but they should be able to get the answers for you from the experienced team they’re working with.

How good your freight forwarder is at taking care of your individual needs speaks a great deal about their ability to give the needed attention to your shipments.

Notice, I didn’t even put freight rates in this list as much more important is your freight forwarder’s ability to take care of your shipping needs professionally and precisely.

One freight forwarder may offer shipping rates well below the rest of the competition, but you’ll usually find yourself paying for choosing them in additional costs, delays, and very poor customer service.

But if you follow the five tips above, you should find a freight forwarder who has the contracts and network which allow them to offer competitive rates.

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