According to a report by Drewry, 70 sailings out of a total of 693 scheduled voyages are projected to be cancelled in the next four weeks. Approximately 90% of ships are expected to sail as planned. The consultancy noted that between week 43 (October 21-27) and week 47 (November 18-24), major routes such as the Trans-Pacific, Trans-Atlantic, and Asia to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean will see 10% of total sailings cancelled.
During this period, 61% of voyage cancellations will be concentrated on the eastbound Trans-Pacific route, while 24% will affect routes between Asia and Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The remaining 14% of blank voyages will impact westbound trans-Atlantic traffic.
In addition, for the next five weeks, THE Alliance has announced 17.5 cancellations of sailings, followed by OCEAN Alliance with 14.5 and 2M with 11 cancellations. In this same period, the implementation of 27 blank sailings on services that do not belong to any alliance is planned.
The consultancy reported that ocean freight rates, which initially rose due to an early peak season, are now on the decline. However, carriers have not adjusted their capacity to face the low season, which, coupled with lower demand, could lead to further price declines.
«On the other hand, recent concerns have shifted from a possible port strike to the storms that hit the southern states of the United States, causing the temporary closure of ports in Florida. Although the Port of Tampa Bay has resumed operations on a limited basis, Miami and Jacksonville reopened last week. The impact of the strike was minimal, as logistics operators were well prepared, and congestion at ports on the East and Gulf coasts is gradually decreasing,» it concluded.
