Air & Sea News April 2021

sea freight
The situation, which had already been tense for months due to a lack of equipment, as we have already reported extensively, was brought to another unpleasant peak as a result of the blockage of the Suez Canal. We can already clearly see the effects:

• Rise in the price of shipping in April
• Further restriction of container availability due to lack of ship arrival

Due to the congestion of 400 large ships in the Suez Canal, the onward journey (daily throughput of around 50 ships) takes place with some delay.
As a result of the disruption created in the logistics chain, which has already been affected by the virus pandemic, the effects will be clearly noticeable for months to come. Ports are suddenly having to cope with increased volumes, and considerable delays in forwarding can also be expected at receiving ports.

airfreight
Air freight volumes are still booming, particularly when imported from China. Some importers have forced to switch to air freight (and also rail freight) due to the sea route blockage. This and the fact that there are hardly any passenger flights as the backbone of air freight mean that hope for a fundamental easing of price levels and cargo space is dwindling here as well.

In general
Extraordinary events and the continuing tense situation in the healthcare sector continue to make it difficult to plan international shipments by sea, rail and air. The rate level remains very high, unstable and barely predictable. Due to a lack of space and lack of equipment for all modes of transport, deadlines can only be implemented with an extended time window. We would love to send you better news and we hope to be able to do so again soon. In the meantime, we continue to ask for your understanding of the current situation, which we cannot influence. Good communication is more important than ever - please contact us.

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