The Hamburg Freight Forwarders Association has recorded a renewed slump in service
service quality among container lines.
According to logistics experts, the restructuring of alliances in container liner shipping has led to massive problems with the arrival and departure of containers at the ports in recent weeks.
At the annual press conference of the Hamburg Freight Forwarders Association (VHSp), Chairman Axel Plaß spoke of “extreme distortions in the quality of sea freight transportation”. In many cases, freight forwarders were not informed in good time by the shipping companies about changes in port sequences or the cancellation of ports. There are communication breakdowns that “can no longer be explained”, complained Konrad Zippel, Managing Partner of the intermodal service provider.
Carriers dependent on forwarders
Due to the schedule deviations, container logistics companies are forced to schedule additional trucks and trains on a large scale. This is “very annoying” for the operators. However, thanks to the additional effort and expense, delays in the delivery of containers in the hinterland could be kept within limits.
If the liner shipping companies were to take over the logistics from the port themselves – as some, including Maersk, have taken up the cause – the damage for the recipients would be much greater. As Plaß sees it, the current situation shows: “The carriers need our help as forwarders to compensate for the inadequacies.”
“No terminal in Hamburg works well”
The problems in the container transport chain are exacerbated by a lack of transparency, complains the VHSp. In contrast to Rotterdam, there is still no comprehensive information system in Hamburg for the planned loading and unloading times of individual containers. This makes it correspondingly more difficult for freight forwarders to provide trucks and trains in line with demand – especially at times like today, when ship arrivals are repeatedly postponed by several days. “The problems occur at all terminals in turn. It’s fair to say that no terminal in Hamburg works really well,” criticizes Plaß. Intermodal operators recorded delays in train handling of between one and 48 hours every week.
According to Hamburg freight forwarders, the business climate in the sea freight industry has deteriorated this year. In a survey for the association’s economic indicator, 39% of participants reported a reduction in cargo volumes in the first quarter, while 42% rated their volumes as stable. Following a significant fall in freight rates since the beginning of the year, 43% expect prices to continue to fall, while 40% anticipate an imminent recovery in rates. (mph)
