PRESS ROOM

Today's Financial Times makes interesting reading for the U-Freight Group and anyone using container shipping to manage their international supply chains.

The publication reports that container shipping lines are struggling to cope with congested ports and shortages of ships as the crisis in the Red Sea drags into a third month.

Jeremy Nixon, chief executive of Japan’s Ocean Network Express, said many shipping lines were facing scheduling problems as a result of most container lines not using the normal Asia-to-Europe route through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, as a result of the ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

Nixon says that vessels were frequently arriving at ports on days when they were not scheduled, leading to berthing clashes, the FT reports. Nixon adds that extra pressure is being seen in crucial hub ports in Asia and the Mediterranean, stating that his line has too few ships to maintain its normal, weekly services on the diverted route from Asia to Europe and back via the Cape of Good Hope, which he says needs the deployment of  16 ships for a weekly service, instead of the normal 12.

The U-Freight Group is committed to helping clients manage this difficult situation and mitigate where possible additional costs incurred. Our ocean freight teams will endeavour to keep in close contact with all clients to provide updates on specific movements.

For more information about our ocean freight forwarding and logistics services, please visit the relevant pages of this website or contact your local office, which can be seen here: https://www.ufreight.com/en/location