MenuRed Sea
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Red Sea update and possible effect on Chinese New Year (starting Feb 10 2024) As Carriers continue to react to the situation in the Red Sea some (not all) are taking the option to bypass the Suez Canal and move via the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope. This will add approximately 10 -14 days to normal transit times and have longer term impact on schedule reliability especially if the return trip is also via the Cape. The disruption is already causing significant delays and increased freight costs, which are likely to continue to change/increase, especially with the Chinese New Year on the horizon where demand is expected to remain high with space at a premium. We advise customers to be mindful due to Chinese New Year many factories had planned to close early so staff can travel home and many local trucking companies will experience the same with availability of drivers also diminishing in the run up to the holiday. This is always the case but this year is likely to be exasperated by the delays to shipments caused by current market / political conditions. We are continuing to monitor the situation and exploring alternatives. We are staying in touch with the Shipping Lines and while some are continuing to use the Red Sea route, they are making the decisions on a vessel by vessel basis. This can mean that a proposed transit time can change while goods are in transit. Other alternatives are Rail : More expensive than current ocean rates with a transit time of approx. 28 days. Sea / Air : Goods are moved by sea to Middle East and air freighted from there. More expensive than ocean or rail but with a transit time of approx. 15 – 18 days. Air : More expensive than other alternatives but much faster transit time Our team are working very closely with their overseas colleagues and supplier contacts to ensure minimal disruption as possible in a continuously evolving situation, if you are concerned about any of your current or future shipments, please contact us and we will work with you to arrive at best solution. |
