As much as we do not enjoy being the bearers of bad news, it remains our responsibility to keep you informed about the position facing importers from Asia, which continues to go from bad to worse.

The issues with container equipment are now overshadowing the problems with space, meaning obtaining bookings at the moment is an extremely difficult and costly exercise, as rates head rapidly towards USD10,000 and above (per 40ft container).

Some carriers have suspended taking bookings altogether until mid to late January, not just to the UK but to the whole of Europe, and further blanked sailings have been announced.

Southern China is the worst affected area right now, where there is little or NO equipment available and feeder services to and from the Port of Yantian will be suspended next month until the end of February.

If you are continuing to move shipments from Asia, then we really need you to help us help you. The little amount of equipment/space that becomes available gets taken quickly, and due to time zones this usually happens outside of UK office hours. We are quite literally at the point whereby, if you need a container moving shortly, we will need to know your maximum spend so that we can make informed decisions during the night or the early hours of the morning.

To add to the complications, carriers are using these desperate conditions to push through their own financial demands;

– Cancellations are incurring around a USD1000.00 dead freight charge.
– Many have cracked down on credit by reducing limits, imposing fines on late payments and reducing terms to 14 days. For this reason, we ask that you ensure your Westbound account is up to date.

As well as the latest developments highlighted above, we are still witnessing critical UK port and container transport issues and diverted containers stranded at European ports.

Westbound continue to do all we can to assist during this crisis, including team members working through the night to search for space, but the market conditions are dire. Should you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team.

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.