By Mike Wackett 11/01/2024North European container ports are facing a potential capacity crunch in early February, as the armada of alliance vessels from Asia that have been re-routed around Africa reach the Channel. Vessel ETAs have been pushed back by 10 days or more, depending on whether voyages were paused, with alliance carriers fighting to secure arrival slots at hub terminals. “At that time, terminals were already chock-a-block full from the pandemic demand surge, the land side was stuffed and quayside work was painfully slow. Nevertheless, carriers are keeping a watchful eye on the situation in Germany, in case there is an escalation of industrial action, affecting intermodal operations for longer periods. Indeed, with market rates going through the roof and said to be reaching $10,000 per 40ft for prompt shipments from China to North Europe, the deployment of smaller, ad-hoc tonnage by HMM and others will be highly lucrative.
