Space issues and rollovers have raised their ugly head again for imports from Asia, following carrier blanked sailing programs.

While demand continues to be low on East-West tradelanes, the high number of blanked voyages since Chinese New Year has led to pressure on available space and some bookings being rolled over to later sailings.

The carrier alliances have been continuing with this policy as a means of mitigating the fall of in demand from China and to protect rates from dropping any further.

This week, The Loadstar reported that the 2M Alliance had 42 vessels idling at one point, 29 being Maersk and 13 from MSC.

Westbound are hoping this is a temporary issue that is resolved by vessels quickly returning to work. In the meantime, we are working hard to manage the situation and keeping a close eye on developments.

If you have any questions regarding the above, then Westbound are here to help. So, please do not hesitate to contact us.