Maersk Announces Delays and Blank Voyages Due to Severe Port Congestion

Maersk Announces Delays and Blank Voyages Due to Severe Port Congestion

Shipping giant Maersk announced on Monday that severe terminal congestion at Mediterranean and Asian ports is causing significant delays in vessel schedules. This congestion has led to longer waiting times at various ports, disrupting Maersk’s ability to maintain regular schedules.

In response, Maersk will implement several blank voyages in the coming weeks. The first of these will be the MSC AMELIA under service AE11, departing from Qingdao on July 1, 2024, followed by the MSC MIRJAM under service AE15, departing from Busan on July 2, 2024.

“We understand that this situation may cause inconvenience and disruption to your supply chain plans, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” Maersk stated.

These congestion-related changes coincide with rising container spot rates, as evidenced by recent increases in both Drewry’s World Container Index and the Shanghai Container Freight Index (SCFI). These indices have continued their upward trend in the post-Chinese New Year period.

Industry experts have been predicting the ripple effects of reroutings around the Cape of Good Hope for months. These effects include bottlenecks, vessel bunching (where multiple ships arrive at ports simultaneously), and shortages of equipment and capacity.

Credits: Mike Schuler (gcaptain.com), Maersk