Another Shenzhen cargo ship had an accident, with 70 containers floating on the sea!

Another shipwreck.

Problems frequently occur during the peak season. While sellers are busy shipping, they also need to pay attention to the delivery status of the goods to avoid "lack of food and grass". In the early morning of November 8, a cargo ship sank in Shenzhen waters, causing many water routes to be temporarily suspended, and a ship full of containers caught fire...

The cargo ship sank, leaving 70 containers floating, and many routes were temporarily suspended

At 3 a.m. on November 8, the cargo ship "Sui Fu Hang 628" from Hong Kong to Foshan sank in the Shenzhen Fanshi Waterway due to water ingress into the engine room. At present, all the people on board have been rescued, but about 70 containers on the ship are still floating on the sea, waiting to be salvaged.

It is reported that the freighter sent out a distress signal for serious flooding in the engine room when it was in waters 600 meters east of the F5 lighthouse in Shenzhen Fanshi Waterway . The local maritime department immediately went to rescue. After the crew was rescued, the freighter took on water and sank in waters 400 meters west of the north side of the F3 buoy in the Fanshi Waterway .

The sinking of the freighter has had a significant impact. Flights from Shenzhen Shekou to Zhuhai, Zhuhai Hengqin (Chimelong), Zhongshan, Guishan Island, Wai Lingding Island, Macau, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge have been temporarily suspended . The Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration has also issued a navigation warning, requiring ships passing through the accident area to drive with caution, and the salvage of the sunken freighter and some scattered containers is underway.

On November 9, a Panama-flagged container ship named "Rise Shine" was forced to run aground in the coastal border area after being deviated from its route due to bad weather.

According to foreign media reports, the container ship has now completely run aground and the hull has cracks. Although the cargo has not been affected, there is a high probability that the cargo delivery will be delayed. The relevant freight forwarders and cargo owners need to check whether their cargo is on the ship in a timely manner, contact the shipping company to check whether their cargo will be delayed, and be prepared for cargo delays in advance.

In fact, it is not just the problem of falling into the water, but also the fire incidents of container ships. On November 7, the container ship MSC SHANNON sounded a fire alarm near the Gulf of Finland. According to the investigation, the fire in the engine room of the ship caused a short-term failure, but then the ship issued a statement saying that it would resume sailing soon.

But judging from the ship's trajectory, the accident may not be over yet. Some industry insiders speculated that the ship may have been towed north to avoid obstructing the navigation of other ships. Freight forwarders and cargo owners with goods on the ship should pay attention and contact the shipping company in time to inquire whether their goods will be delayed.

Judging from current data, container accidents occur frequently. According to a report by the World Shipping Council in November 2020, approximately 5,000 container ships lose an average of 1,382 containers at sea each year .

Container accidents are worrying, cargo delays are unpredictable, and the cruel reality has once again sounded the alarm for sellers. They need to be vigilant against sky-high freight rates and the unpredictable cross-border market, because the slightest carelessness could bring a fatal blow.

It has to be said that this year's peak season is a bit difficult. Not only are logistics costs high, but there are also many incidents of containers falling into the water and catching fire. Many sellers have said that they are likely to lose money during this peak season. At the same time, the problem of congestion at US ports has not been solved by port fees.

The U.S. people have strong purchasing power, and peak season sales may reach $859 billion

Recently, the problem of port congestion in the United States is not optimistic. The impact it has on sellers' peak season sales is obvious to all. Experts and practitioners in many industries have advised consumers to start shopping as early as possible to cope with product shortages and delivery delays.

Scott Price, international president of shipping giant UPS, said in September that people should order Christmas gifts now, otherwise on Christmas Day they might only see a picture of something that will not arrive until February or March next year.

During the epidemic, global demand for consumer goods surged, and many manufacturing plants and shipping ports were closed one after another due to the epidemic. The labor shortage in the United States trucking and other logistics-related industries led to a large backlog of goods at U.S. ports, which triggered panic among consumers.

A survey shows that one quarter of consumers plan to shop before the end of September, and more than half of consumers will shop before Halloween. It is not difficult to see that the port congestion and the inability to transport and deliver a large number of goods in time have hardly affected consumers' shopping enthusiasm.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects holiday sales from November to December this year to increase by 8.5%-10.5% compared to 2020, reaching US$843.4 billion to US$859 billion. In response to supply chain issues, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said retailers are investing heavily in the supply chain to ensure that there are products on the shelves to meet consumer demand during this period.

Some sellers believe that in order to meet consumers' shopping needs, the delivery time of goods is crucial during the peak season. If the average delivery time is around two to three weeks, it is likely to arouse consumer dissatisfaction. Based on this, preparations should be made early.

Some time ago, there were reports that port congestion may continue until 2022, and sellers were called upon to prepare goods for shipment in advance. The container volume was in short supply and import volume at US ports surged.

Import volumes at congested U.S. container ports are expected to remain at record levels through the end of the year as retailers rush to move goods for shipment, according to tracking by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and consulting firm Hackett Associates .

According to foreign media reports, more than 70 ships are waiting to dock at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach recently , with an average waiting time of about two weeks. Although some operators have planned to transfer cargo, congestion across the country is still worsening.

The port has not yet released October data , but Global Port Tracker estimates October volume to be 2.19 million TEU, down 1.2% from October last year.

Although imports fell year-on-year in October, it was still busy for the congested port. Data showed that in the face of huge cargo volumes, the busy port is expected to continue until the end of the year, with November expected to reach 2.17 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%; December is expected to reach 2.18 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%; January 2022 is expected to be 2.21 million TEUs, an increase of 7.6% from January 2021; February is 2 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 7%; March is 2.17 million TEUs, a year-on-year decrease of 4.1%.

Port congestion has become the norm. The prices of sea and air freight are rising visibly, which is not friendly to sellers. Coupled with the rising prices of raw materials, sellers still have to give priority to profits when preparing goods for shipment and choose the method that suits them best.

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