According to experts, the logistical problems with sea containers in world trade do not seem to be coming to an end. There are too few sea containers and the containers that are there are in the wrong places. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sounding the alarm.
The disrupted global logistics also continues to affect the chain, the USDA notes. Warehouses, warehouses and terminals are becoming full and transport by road, rail and river is also under pressure.
“For too long, farmers have struggled to find a market for their produce at a fair price for their hard work,” the USDA said in a statement. "Now that the markets are opening at good prices, we must work together to ensure that the products actually reach customers in the right markets." Ports in Europe are also reaching maximum capacity. In the EU it has the blockade of the Suez Canal the Ever Given caused additional disruption in the logistics chains a month and a half ago.
Small number of players
The global container stock has decreased in the past year because too few new containers have been built. A small number of Chinese companies build approximately 80% of all shipping containers. These companies have increased their production by an estimated 2020% to 6% since the end of 8, but this offers little relief.
The market demands more containers. The price of new containers has therefore almost doubled in one year, from approximately $1.800 per teu (20-foot container) at the beginning of 2020 to approximately $3.500 per teu in recent months. Because there are only a small number of companies that build containers, they have a dominant position on the market. Insiders therefore do not expect prices to fall quickly.
Wave of containers
But the shortage cannot be solved by additional containers alone. At the end of 2020, ports were flooded with containers and a new wave followed after the opening of the Suez Canal. Fast loading and unloading was the motto. As a result, many empty containers have been left behind and are now stuck in ports or at domestic terminals.
For shipping companies, the transport of empty containers costs money and due to the increased transit times, shipowners want ships to go to the next destination as quickly as possible. According to some sources, ships therefore take approximately 5% fewer containers on the return voyage from Europe and America to Asia.
According to various sources, the container shortage will therefore continue for a while. In any case, the problems do not seem to have been resolved before the end of this year. Insiders take into account that the availability of containers will remain limited, especially in Asia, at the beginning of 2022 and that container prices will remain high.