Transport is our Business

Updates regarding the current situation in Northern Europe concerning schedule reliability and carrier adjustments:

Blank Sailings, Labour Actions & changes of Shipping Alliances:

Please be advised that some shipping lines have  announced the cancellation of several sailings scheduled for April and May as a tool to recover sailing schedules that have been significantly impacted by ongoing congestion and delays at European ports. Labour actions at the Port of Rotterdam in March slow downed operations and increased Berth waiting times to 6 days, with container yards at full capacity. Some Ocean Carriers temporarily omitted Rotterdam from their services due to the congestion. Other European ports, like Antwerp, also experienced increased pressure due to the diverted cargo from Rotterdam. This had finally an impact on most ports and will take weeks to settle. Changes of shipping alliances in April has also severe consequences on service levels as port calls are partly changed, new ports added and hubs moved when trying to merge services. This again results in reduced sailings, skipping of ports at the last minute and / or not being able to complete operations as berthing windows are cut short.

Outlook:

All this finally results in heavy delays and very unreliable schedules. A very high percentage of shipments are currently not shipped as booked and therefore delayed. It will take the shipping lines weeks to increase the booking and schedule reliability. Following those significant delays and changes in schedules, we also experience congested terminals at land side resulting in re-scheduling of export deliveries, extra costs of intermediate storage, terminal charges and trucking.

Please find our latest customer information letter here

Shipping companies like announced now to avoid the Suez Canal Eastbound and Westbound until further notice. They will route the ships around the Cape of Good Hope or have the vessels wait in a safe location. We expect an extension of transit times and an increase in operating costs. We are in close contact with ocean carriers to monitor the situation and will provide further updates. Please find our latest customer information below:

Update Information Situation Red Sea
Information Red Sea

After the German Federal Aviation Authority (LBA) banned the use of the special control procedure in mid-2019 a "control tourism" to the Benelux region and France became established in Europe. Following the tightening of their national guidelines, the security option in the Benelux countries was initially cancelled.

After extensive testing of the special control procedure using explosives detectors or explosives detection dogs (ETD devices / EDD ) on the outer packaging of the consignment, the French authority Direction générale de l'Aviation civile (DGAC) determined that these do not comply with the requirements of the EU regulation. This explicitly affects airtight packaging (drums, IBCs, etc.). Affected goods can be liquids, solids, granulates, powders and pastes; regardless of whether they are dangerous or harmless goods. With the prohibition of the special control procedure, the authority provided a transition plan.

Please find our latest customer information below showing the possibilities that will be available in the future:
Special Control Procedure Airfreight

Please note that we no longer load direct consignments to/from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. 

If you have any further questions, please contact your local representative.