Asia-Nordic route round trip delayed by nearly 30 days! Maersk advises shippers to book containers as soon as possible as the November holiday approaches

The route between Asia and Northern Europe is experiencing month-long delays due to worsening congestion at both ends of the port. Meanwhile, as the November holiday approaches, Maersk is advising shippers to book containers as soon as possible in order to avoid the pre-holiday shipping rush.

The Asia-North Europe route, which was originally expected to take about 75 days for a round-trip shipment, now takes 100 days or more. Maersk Consulting reported that the waiting time for ships in the port of Antwerp has been as long as 10 days.

Alphaliner reports that the new vessel MSC Amelia, deployed on the AE55/Griffin service, has been diverted to Zeebrugge due to congestion in the port of Antwerp. "The new vessel was scheduled to arrive in the port of Antwerp on July 28, but only arrived in the port of Rotterdam, the first Nordic port on its route, on Aug. 14."

Delays of almost 30 days on the Asia-Nordic route round trip! Maersk advises shippers to book containers as soon as possible as November holiday approaches

Alphaliner said ULCV's revised European rotation times for Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Felixstowe now take 18 days, as both Rotterdam and Felixstowe require waiting time, compared to the original schedule of about six days, a delay of 12 days.

According to eeSea data, the estimated round-trip voyage time for the AE55/Griffin service is 76 days, with 62 days (82%) at sea and 14 days (18%) in port, a common ratio for trade routes. However, due to increased congestion in Asian and Northern European ports, the time spent in port at anchor or waiting for a berth has increased significantly, to approximately 40% of the total voyage.

Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said the average number of voyage delay days in the first half of this year tripled compared to the same period in 2020. Container days of use also increased, by 16 percent over the first half of 2020, as boxes got stuck on ships or stranded in crowded terminal yards or warehouses.

Due to the significantly longer transit times and to avoid the peak shipping period before the November holidays, Maersk advised shippers to book containers as soon as possible.

Asia-North Europe route round-trip time delayed nearly 30 days! Maersk advises shippers to book containers as soon as possible as the November holiday is approaching

The approach of the National Day holiday on November 11 will bring a week-long holiday everywhere, when factories, suppliers and many companies will suspend operations, causing delays on most of the largest and busiest routes. This year's Golden Week could also increase the impact of maritime and inland transportation in several industries and regions.

Maersk said the peak shipping period usually begins 3-4 weeks before the November holiday as importers speed up shipments to ensure cargo leaves China before the holiday, and while operations at most ports, terminals and customs remain normal, shipping lines may avoid sailing during this time. Therefore, shippers are strongly advised to book containers as soon as possible in order to avoid the rush of shipments before Golden Week.

Nearly 30 days delay on Asia-North Europe round trip! Maersk advises shippers to book containers as soon as possible as the November holiday approaches

Maersk predicted that this year's Golden Week will be most seriously affected by the three regions of North America, Asia Pacific and Northern Europe. It said that even if the goods do not travel to and from China may also be affected by the Golden Week, the recent serious congestion in the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the world, may seriously affect future shipments.

North America

Challenge: Continued strong demand affects Asia-North America trade

With global demand for vessels at unprecedented levels, all major trade routes are experiencing congestion and a severe shortage of available vessels for charter, affecting carrier capacity.

The global vessel idle rate is currently around 1.0 - 1.5%, showing a significant decline from 10.6% in Q2 2020.

Asia Pacific

Challenges: Extreme weather, strong typhoon season threaten supply chain in China and neighboring countries

While the overloaded shipping industry tries to recover from the epidemic, freight forwarders in the region still face another obstacle. Experts predict that ports in the region will likely be affected by the 16 to 18 typhoons that will hit the Pacific Northwest and South China Sea from August through December.

Northern Europe

Challenge: Congestion in the Asia-Pacific region affects European ports

With ship waiting times already up to 10 days at ports of destination, particularly in the Port of Antwerp, the latest congestion in Asia Pacific and North America is inevitably affecting Europe's major ports as well.

As Golden Week approaches and the Eurozone starts to be affected, major hub ports are likely to become congested, especially Algeciras, which is usually the first hub port in Asia for the Eurozone.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)