The European Commission has said it does not consider the massive increases in ocean freight container rates from Asia as a good enough reason to investigate carriers for infringing the Block Exemption Regulations (BER) – as reported in The Loadstar.

Two large European membership organisations had approached the commission for intervention. Focusing on the increased blank sailings, the decrease in schedule reliability and the price hikes that have followed – they argued this was leaving many businesses in a precarious financial position.

While the commission confirmed they are aware of the current market position and of the soaring prices, they have reportedly suggested that this is just a surge of demand caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

However, they did acknowledge that this warranted further discussions with other stake holders, including the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and China’s Ministry of Commerce – we won’t hold our breath then.

In the meantime, rates continue to soar and more blanked sailings are expected.
While the Westbound team continue to do their best to accommodate customer’s needs, we need to remind everybody that in the current conditions, bookings for the UK or US are by no means guaranteed.

Even confirmed bookings will often experience up to 2-3 weeks delays – caused by last minute vessel changes or transit delays due to berthing slots not being available.

At Westbound Logistics we pride ourselves in offering personalised and tailored logistics solutions. To find out more please call 01375 800800​ or email [email protected].