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suspend ferry service

Halt! Maersk announced flight delays and suspensions due to severe port congestion

Shipping giant Maersk on Monday (June 3) announced significant delays to its shipping schedules due to severe congestion at major ports in the Mediterranean and Asia. This congestion resulted in significantly longer waiting times at various ports, severely impacting Maersk’s ability to maintain normal shipping schedules.

In response to the current port congestion, Maersk plans to launch two empty voyages in the coming weeks. The first is the cancellation of the 425W cruise by MSC AMELIA on the AE11 route from Qingdao to Valencia on July 1, 2024, followed by the cancellation of the 426W cruise by MSC MIRJAM on the AE15 route from Busan to Tekilda on July 2, 2024. Both voyages will be suspended.

Maersk said: “We understand that this situation may cause a lot of inconvenience and disruption to our customers’ supply chain plans and are deeply sorry for any distress this may cause.”

In the global container market, the phenomenon of port congestion is becoming more serious, which occurs in the context of the continuous rise in container spot freight rates.

According to reports from Drewry’s World Container Index and Shanghai Container Export Freight Index (SCFI), freight rates rose sharply last week, continuing the upward trend after the Spring Festival.

Industry experts have been warning for months that the rerouting of the route around the Cape of Good Hope would have a series of knock-on effects. These impacts include further port bottlenecks, ship congestion, and shortages of equipment and capacity. These issues pose a serious threat to the smooth operation of the supply chain and the normal operation of the port, resulting in significant delays.

The situation is reminiscent of tensions during the pandemic. In particular, since mid-November last year, the Houthis’ continued attacks on cargo ships passing through the Red Sea have forced shipping companies to choose non-traditional routes around the Cape of Good Hope to ensure the safety of ships and cargoes.

Although this change has temporarily alleviated the problem of overcapacity in the consolidation market, freight rates have risen sharply this year as a result. However, this change has also brought a number of challenges, putting considerable pressure on global supply chains and port operations.