International transport trade faces a brand new downside — too many containers

Whereas there was a scarcity of containers on the top of the pandemic, the worldwide financial system is now going through the alternative downside: too many containers. 

On prime of falling freight charges, information reveals container depots — used to accommodate containers after they’re unloaded — are actually filling up or full.

It factors to extra indicators of falling international demand and an impending financial slowdown.

Merchants and shippers say the decline in international client demand shouldn’t be an indication the worldwide financial system is normalizing after a frantic post-lockdown consumption rush however a downwards shift in consumption appetites.  

“There may be simply not sufficient depot area to accommodate all of the containers,” on-line container logistics platform Container xChange chief govt Christian Roeloffs stated in an trade replace this week. 

“With the additional launch of container stock into the market, for instance from the disposal of leasing fleets, there will likely be added stress on depots within the coming months.”

Italian container depot proprietor Sogese chief govt Andrea Monti informed Container xChange his depots are full. 

“No matter was coming out and in of, for example, our Milan depot is sort of caught. And the container quantity on the depots is rising to an extent that we’re returning some requests for depot service agreements.” 

“We’re in a scenario the place we aren’t in a position to settle for new shoppers for some areas.”

Monti informed Container xChange that the height season of products shipments — as Christmas looms — “technically didn’t occur this yr.” Retailers are cautious concerning the excessive degree of stock they’ve readily available, Monti stated. 

“There may be sufficient stock with retailers,” Monti stated. 

“What has occurred now could be that the cargo is ‘on time’ once more and therefore you may see a slowdown in new ordering as corporations alter to extra environment friendly turnaround occasions in ocean freight supply.”

The most recent Drewry composite World Container Index — a key benchmark for container costs — has fallen once more to $2,773 per 40-foot container. That is 73% decrease than the height price in September final yr.

Clean or canceled sailings are additionally on the rise in what’s normally the alternative, because the yr’s largest spending interval approaches.

A clean crusing occurs when a transport firm decides to skip a port or a whole leg of its schedule to handle modifications in demand and capability.

In its newest canceled sailings evaluation, Drewry stated between late November and early December, 14% of sailings have been canceled throughout main container transport routes. 

Final week, main transport group Maersk warned throughout its third quarter outcomes that freight charges have peaked amid easing provide chain congestion and falling demand. The corporate informed buyers to count on decrease ocean transport income.

Almost 60% of the 200 freight forwarders, merchants and shippers that Container xChange spoke to in a survey final month stated they had been grappling with geopolitical, financial and political dangers which have imposed downward pressures on consumption and due to this fact demand for containers.  

“We all know already that the market is bearish on client demand due to a number of components like recessionary fears and inflationary dangers,” a Container xChange spokeswoman informed CNBC. 

“So in fact, there’s a vital dent in client demand which then results in much less demand for freight and cargo, and due to this fact, a proportionate dent in container demand globally.”

Shippers are giving containers away to scale back crowding at depots whereas many have resorted to clean sailings, Container xChange added.