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Week 30 Freight Updates

July 28th, 2021

Port congestion is at an all-time high right now due to pandemic-driven disruptions ranging from the backlog at Yantian to soaring consumer demand. According to Splash247.com, “as of 3:20 p.m. Singapore time today, there were 328 ships idling in front of ports around the world with 116 ports reporting challenges, such as congestion.”

Many believe the significant rise in U.S. imports is largely to blame for worsening the current container ship crunch; however, severe weather conditions like the recent typhoon in China aren’t making things any better either. According to The Loadstar, “as In-Fa headed towards the city of Zhoushan, making landfall on Sunday, it prompted the closure of Shanghai’s air, sea, and rail hubs just 150km north.”

In response, carriers like Matson Inc. are launching new services in an attempt to improve cargo flow and ease these ongoing bottlenecks. Other leading organizations such as the IMO and WHO are also working to help address the situation by ensuring seafarers are prioritized to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, which would play a vital role in minimizing pandemic-induced delays.

To learn more about this week’s top stories in international shipping, check out the following article highlights:

Global liner congestion worsens, 116 ports report disruption

Global liner congestion worsens, 116 ports report disruption

The port congestion pandemic has stretched around the globe with ever greater numbers of containerships idling, waiting for berth spaces to open up across five continents.

U.S. imports to keep driving global shipping imbalance (sub. required)

U.S. imports to keep driving global shipping imbalance (sub. required)

U.S. imports have driven the global container shipping chaos, having grown 10 percent yearly since 2019 while other trades saw moderate gains in comparison.

Typhoon brings more supply chain chaos in China, closing air, sea and rail hubs

Typhoon brings more supply chain chaos in China, closing air, sea and rail hubs

More freight delays are expected in China this week, after typhoon In-Fa forced the closure of Shanghai’s container port and airport over the weekend.

Amid freight congestion, Matson launches fast-boat service to Oakland

Amid freight congestion, Matson launches fast-boat service to Oakland

Matson Inc. is launching a new express vessel service into northern California Tuesday designed to help U.S. importers move stranded shipments from China as the ocean container market experiences ongoing bottlenecks.

IMO welcomes WHO vaccine roadmap seafarer prioritization

IMO welcomes WHO vaccine roadmap seafarer prioritization

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has welcomed the WHO’s decision to name seafarers as one of the groups of transportation workers that should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination in instances of limited supplies.

2021-07-27T20:18:39+00:00July 28th, 2021|Shipping News|
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