Container congestion

Maritime News
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Yes there are a lot of ships in the area around two of the busiest container ports in the world.
Some of the ships are moving, some at anchor. A lot of these ships are domestic shipping.

Unless you spend a lot of time looking up what is what, these maps just shows something that is well known; there are a lot of ships in the East China Sea.

My point was how different things are reported in the US and China and not meant to prove one or the other right.

PS> For facts about shipping I prefer to look at more reliable sources than CNN and Global Times.

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Looks like Maersk is doing something to ease the pain, although it cost them a lot to transport empties for free:

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The MAERSK CAPE TOWN fully loaded with MT’s arriving at the Eastern Anchorage in Singapore for bunkers
Photo: Piet Sinke

PS> Maybe because without getting empties to where the cargo is there wouldn’t be any full containers to carry?

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The Maersk C class go from either China to West Africa or Europe to West Africa.

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Africa, South America, and the Pacific Islands still rely on geared container ships.

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Maersk Cape Town is presently on the Far East -West Africa run.
The point was that Maersk and other Container lines do pick up and transport empty containers to reposition for future use.

Why this apparently doesn’t happen from US ports is the question. (??)

PS> As can be seen from the picture the boxes carried are not all Maersk property.

106

It should be fairly simple;

  • Ensure that containers that has been emptied at importer’s warehouses gets to where exporters can fill them with export goods.
  • Ensure that full (and empty) containers gets to the ports in a timely fashion for loading on ships without delays.
  • Ensure that the ports are operating efficiently, incl. documentation and custom clearance.

I’m sure the Ocean Carriers will be happy to carry full containers that pay freight, rather than empties that cost money.

Of course, if the ships have to wait to load the containers, whether full or empty, it affect not only the economy, but also the scheduling and regularity of shipping for everybody.

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Good news for those who are “fighting” port congestion;

Not so good news for the much malingered (if not “hated”) Ocean Carriers and Terminal Operators that will see volume and income dropping.
At least they can go back to their normal “obscured” state, once they get out of the news.

PS> Good news for some of the US politicians, who can claim a victory over those greedy foreign “Ocean Carriers” that has been “fattening” themselves on the back of gullible American consumers and refusing to carry US export to market. :innocent:

PPS> Are anybody asking what is the real cause of the congestion and supply chain problem?

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FMC has found a bone to carry:

And it is a REALLY BIG BONE:

An American company was also involved;

It doesn’t say if GSL was given a fine for it’s involvement.

PS> Looks like not only Maryland learnt from SCA when it comes to penalizing Container Lines.

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Beating the USWC congestion by shipping containers by rail from USEC?:

110

A less sensational report on the effect on container shipping from the lockdown in Shanghai:

PS> I notice that a lot of media talk about “the China lockdown”, although it is Shanghai that has been in lockdown, not all of China:

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Things are changing in the Trans Pacific container market:

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Prepare for more port congestion and supply chain problem with the summer peak season coming up and China opening up:

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Now here is a novel thought:

It doesn’t stop port congestion, Covid lockdown in China, or anything else that may cause the present problems, in the short term.

Nor the possible problem that MAY pop up in the future:

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The future may be here already in June/July:

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Order your Christmas gifts now🎅

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Before they get stuck in Suez!

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It’s not over before the fat lady sings:

Or somebody spend as much time on solving the underlying problems as finding somebody else to blame for their failure to do so.

PS> Sorry, it can no longer be blamed on a ship that blocked the Suez Canal nearly 2 years ago.
Look closer to home.

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She hasn’t sung yet:

And freight rates are not likely to fall before she does:

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It is likely to get worse, not better in the near term: