Carriers have introduced numerous blank sailings since the pandemic began to avoid the costs associated with near to empty voyages. These blank sailings have reduced the capacity to align with the massive reduction in volume over recent weeks.

However, a surge in recent bookings, believed to be due to the lifting of restrictions, the flood of PPE volume and airfreight volumes switching to ocean, have led to more demand than the available capacity.

While carriers scramble to reinstate previously blanked voyages, the market looks set for a temporary lack of space, meaning there is a high risk of short shipments and rollovers in the next 2-3 weeks.

Westbound continue to work incredibly hard to ensure bookings are shipped on time, although this global issue is likely to impact many importers around the UK and Europe.

We will monitor the situation closely and continue to update developments, although we are asking customers to be on alert that they may need to have contingency plans in place to cover the additional risk of delays.

At Westbound Logistics we pride ourselves in offering personalised and tailored logistics solutions. To find out more please call 01375 800800​ or email info@westboundglobal.com.