News Highlights week: 33 - 2022

SITC expanded the ‘CRV’ to Busan, South Korea, and included additional Chinese ports: Lianyungang, Ningbo and Wenzhou. 

The loop, which turns in four weeks with four ships of 1,000 - 1,800 teu, now calls at Busan, Xingang, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Ningbo, Haiphong, Chiwan, Wenzhou, Shanghai, Vladivostok, Vostochny, Busan. 

With the adjusted ‘CRV’, SITC now offers weekly sailings between the Russian Far East and the South Korean transit hub of Busan. The loop is the only weekly container service that offers a direct connection between Vostochny and Haiphong. 

Port congestion: increasing impact on Transatlantic trade 

Container ships deployed between China and North Europe currently need on average 97 days to complete a full round voyage. This is only four days less than in mid-May when Alphaliner last surveyed ship delays on this trade route (see Alphaliner Newsletter 2022-20). 

Ships currently arrive on average 16 days late in China for their next round trip, which also represents a reduction of four days since our May survey. However, while there have been slight improvements for some individual carriers, port congestion remains a huge problem, causing disruptions to schedules. 

Congestion has worsened in the North Europe - US East Coast trade, where carriers get a double whammy on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Increased waiting times in ports such as Savannah, Houston and New York add to the vessels delays experienced in the big North European hubs. 

Container ships deployed in regular alliance services on the North Atlantic (excluding extra sailers) currently need on average 52 days to complete a North Europe - USEC or US Gulf roundtrip. This means that they arrive on average 13 days too late in Europe for their next voyage, up from 9 days in October last year (see Alphaliner Newsletter 2021-45). 

The differences in vessel delays per carrier are quite striking. An Alphaliner report last November on the voyage time for vessels sailing from China to berths in Los Angeles / Long Beach showed transit times ranging from 10 to 70 days (see Alphaliner Newsletter 2021-47).

Our conclusion that good carrier - terminal arrangements are obviously the best way to reduce waiting times is also valid for the Far East - North Europe trade.

CMA CGM’s vessels returning in China in the second half of July were either on schedule or had a delay of a maximum two days. The OOCL / COSCO operated ’LL1 / AEU1’ service also faced limited delays, which is surely due to the fact that this OCEAN Alliance loop has no calls at the busy ports of Rotterdam or Hamburg. 

OAL-partner Evergreen did not manage to make a China - North Europe voyage in less than 100 days. Its vessels arrived 23 to even 47 days late in Shanghai in the second half of July. The Taiwanese carrier is clearly suffering from long waiting times in Hamburg. Its 20,124 teu EVER GENTLE left Felixstowe on 25 May for Hamburg, where it could only berth on 2 June for an eight days port stay.

As THE Alliance partners are using the same Burchardkai terminal in Hamburg as Evergreen, they have to deal with the same waiting problems. The 23,792 teu ‘HMM Oslo’ arrived on 5 August in Shanghai 38 days late ex Europe, where the megamax spent no less than 43 days for only three calls at Rotterdam (8-10 May), Antwerp (21-25 May) and Hamburg (15-20 June). 

The 2M-partners Maersk and MSC were able to reduce vessel days in the Far East - North Europe trade from 19 days in May to 13 days. They are however the carriers suffering the most from port congestion on the Transatlantic. Despite skipping a call at Mobile, the 8,044 teu MAERSK KLEVEN arrived in Antwerp on 21 July after an 87 day round voyage, while the pro forma schedule provides for 42 days. 

The ship is deployed in the North Europe - US Gulf ‘TA3 / NEUATL3’ loop which suffers from delays in the ports of New York and New Orleans. Savannah is another congestion hotspot. The MSC-chartered 8,814 teu NORTHERN JUBILEE deployed in the North Europe - USEC ‘TA2 / NEUATL2’ service left Baltimore on 7 June for Savannah, where she could berth only on 17 June. 

VNS