Shortage of equipment, lack of airspace.. what’s new in the international shipping scenario?
Sea freight
From the latest updates provided in our September news, the trend of international sea transport has remained unchanged: blanked sailings happen on a frequent basis, causing problems through the logistics chain.
Available shipping space is tight and this makes container shipping more expensive for users.
All the major carriers are experiencing also equipment shortages with popular 40tf/ 40ft high cubes in particular short supply at Chinese depots, due to a ‘boomerang’ effect caused by the lack of return cargo.
For this reason carriers have recently decided to temporarily suspend the acceptance of 40’bx and 40 ‘hc (while 20’ containers remain acceptable) from Italy to the following destinations: Japan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Australia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
The shortage of equipment is occurring in Italy as well.
Air freight
Air traffic of the Italian airports has decreased on average by -50.7% (annual basis) during the first half of the year, with a negative peak in April and a subsequent slow recovery.
At the moment, passenger traffic, a crucial component of air transport, is still far from normal recovery and so is the availability of the hold belly connected to it.
The lack of airspace has inevitably caused the increase in freight rates, reducing frequencies, and favoring the rail freight in some routes (such as those between China and Europe) and for some types of goods.
The scenario of international transport, as well as the global one, is very delicate and must be constantly monitored.
Our advice is to plan and book your international shipments in advance to reduce the risk of excessive delays in the arrival of goods.
For any further information and personalized advice on your international transport needs, contact our staff!
