A “cautious” Hapag-Lloyd has warned it will not accept bookings if port congestion leaves cargo “stranded” at transshipment hubs, leaving Canadian forwarders struggling to secure space to the Middle East.
In a briefing last week by Hapag-Lloyd and Port Saint John, one forwarder said “many in Canada are experiencing challenges securing space to key Middle East destinations until late June to early July.” And the forwarder asked: “What concrete steps are being taken to increase routing options and booking availability to improve access for Canadian exporters?”
“There are some congestion issues at some of the major ports in Europe, including Tangier, Rotterdam, Antwerp – and this congestion is real,” said Hapag-Lloyd’s director of sales Canada, Matt Montanaro. “The reality is that we took the stance that we will not accept bookings if we know your cargo will be stranded at a transshipment port.
“We prefer being up front… giving you the option to book should there be options elsewhere versus taking the booking and then having that box stranded at a terminal, and for which we cannot give you an ETA to final destination,” added Mr. Montanaro.
A spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd said: “This is a policy specifically for Canada and just to Middle East destinations, so it is not a global policy.” But, he said, Hapag-Lloyd could see the situation “slightly improving” after “at least another month or so.”
Read more in an article from The Loadstar.
