Since the second half of 2020, there has been a serious shortage of international shipping containers. A series of factors have affected the cost and price of international shipping. The price has changed the relationship between supply and demand, breaking the previous relatively stable process. Under the influence of various factors, the number of mobile containers has decreased, which is just catching up with the peak season of export, and the supply exceeds the demand. Finally, there is a phenomenon of container congestion. On one hand, in some areas containers are unable to get in and out, and on the other hand, they are in short supply. The main reasons are as follows:
1. Due to the impact of the cowid-19 epidemic, many containers can not enter or leave due to the regulation of transportation;
2. China’s domestic production has basically resumed, with a large number of freight ships have been waiting for containers.
3. Many other countries are crowded with containers at ports, and there is a shortage of dock workers. Need to pay a high level congestion charge and surcharge. etc.
The shortage of international shipping containers is serious and may continue until the first quarter of 2021. Philippe Wendling, senior vice president of marketing of Textainer, a container leasing company / second-hand container seller, believes that the shortage of containers is likely to continue for another four months until February next year.
According to the prediction of president of China Container Industry Association and vice president of CIMC, the shortage of containers may continue for about half a year. “We have monitored that if there are 500000 new containers waiting for use at the terminals or ports in normal China, it is in a completely healthy state, but it is a bit tight at present, with about 300000 new containers in stock,” he said. I expect that this slightly tense balance will continue in the next three months to six months, which is probably a trend of the industry at present.”
At the same time, many manufacturers in China are full of orders. A person in charge of one factory said: “at present, the orders in January next year are all full, and the manufacturers are accepting the orders in February and March next year.”
At present, In China the market is still in the peak season of transportation, and the demand of most routes remains strong. Even if the supply of transportation capacity recovers rapidly after China’s National Day holiday, the situation of insufficient transportation capacity in the market can not be completely alleviated. With the continuation of the lack of containers in the market, the freight rates of most routes continue to rise at a high level, and the rising trend of the composite index continues.
At the same time, for China’s inland transportation, affected by the cowid-19 epidemic, it is said that the logistics may be forced to stop ahead of schedule this year. Companies may have holidays ahead of time. But there is no official report.
Nigeria: More than 43 ships stranded at Lagos port
No fewer than 43 vessels laden with various goods are currently stuck in Lagos waters as congestion stalls operations at Nigeria’s busiest ports, the TinCan Island Port and Apapa Port in Lagos.
Statistics by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) revealed, yesterday, that 10 vessels waiting to berth in Apapa ports were at the Lagos anchorage. At TinCan, 33 ships are stranded at anchorage due to the lack of space to discharge new cargoes at terminals. This gives a total of 43 vessels waiting to berth at Lagos ports alone.
A top executive officer of a terminal in Lagos told The Guardian the cost of shipping containers into Nigeria had risen by 600 per cent this year.
“In the first half of this year, it cost $1,000 to ship a 20-foot container to Nigeria from the Far East. Today, the cost charged by shipping lines for the same service is between $5,500 and $6,000,” the source said.
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Post time: Jan-11-2021