Meisen is all over the news! US ports are seriously congested, and bad freight forwarders take the opportunity to speculate on prices

This year, cross-border e-commerce logistics has been at the center of the storm , with price increases and congestion hitting the news one after another. People outside the industry are also talking about it. The news of logistics price increases two days ago has not yet faded, and the news from Matsun that the Port of Long Beach is also in congestion has once again made the logistics circle boil!

It is reported that the congestion at US ports is worsening , and the number of container ships waiting to enter US ports has surged to a record high, which has made it more difficult for sellers to replenish their stocks during the peak season . In the chaos, many unscrupulous freight forwarders took the opportunity to grab money, receiving goods at air delivery prices, and then sending them to Matson ships ...

Matson official announcement: Long Beach Port is also in congestion

Since yesterday, which is Monday, my friend circle has been flooded with messages about the congestion at the Port of Long Beach:

As can be seen from the figure, the message sent by Matson on September 9 showed that Matson Hawai 002E was originally scheduled to arrive in Long Beach on Friday morning, September 10, but due to severe congestion in Long Beach, the freight operation is currently expected to be postponed to next week. Matson will update the progress and expectations of cargo supply next Monday, September 13.

Today is September 14th. The editor also consulted a freight forwarder from Matsun to learn about the latest situation. The freight forwarder said that the water cargo has been landed today. There may be too many ships at the anchorage, and the water ship has to go around other ships, so there is a delay.

Although the water cargo is currently being transported smoothly, Matson has its own independent terminal and container yard in Long Beach. The so-called "Maison with wings" is also congested, and the majority of cross-border people are "boiling".

A freight forwarder said that the only stability in the shipping market may no longer be stable . In addition, affected by factors such as typhoons and epidemics, shipping schedules, timeliness and other issues have become more unpredictable.

Another freight forwarder is concerned about whether the high freight rates will drop as a result. "The Long Beach Port of Matsushita, which you praised to the sky, is also experiencing congestion. I wonder if the freight rates over 40,000 yuan will drop." According to cross-border sellers, the shipping price between China and the United States has increased nearly 10 times, and the price of Matsushita Express ships has been rising almost every week, making it unaffordable. In addition, the freight rates have seriously exceeded the unit value of the goods.

Another industry insider said that one of the important reasons why the price of Matson has risen so much is that the freight forwarders speculate on the price. It is reported that many freight forwarders will take the containers of Matson's regular ships and then receive the goods sent by air. Many people think that they are sending air shipments, but they don't know that the goods may be on Matson's regular ships.

As for the overall situation of continued high prices for cross-border logistics, many industry insiders said that many unscrupulous freight forwarders are adding layers of price increases, leaving the majority of cross-border sellers at the mercy of others, and some freight forwarders who are doing business honestly are also having a hard time moving forward.

In addition to malicious price increases, some cross-border logistics company bosses are maliciously ruining the market. Last year, their company had big problems, so this year they changed the company name and legal person and continued to dig holes.

Regarding the various chaos in the logistics circle, cross-border sellers must keep their eyes open to avoid being deceived.

U.S. port congestion worsens

The surge in online consumption brought about by the epidemic has driven the rapid development of e-commerce. The revenue of cross-border e-commerce sellers has achieved good growth in the past two years, but the most worrying issue for sellers is logistics.

Amazon's restrictions on shipments have already made sellers anxious, but the logistics problems in recent times have not improved at all. Instead, they have become more and more serious. Ports continue to be congested, and freight rates have continued to rise ...

According to Bloomberg, congestion at U.S. ports is worsening , and the number of container ships waiting to enter U.S. ports has surged to a record high, making it more difficult for sellers to replenish their stocks during the peak season . This not only causes delays in the shipment of goods , but also increases sellers’ costs accordingly .

As of late Friday, 55 vessels were anchored or idle farther offshore, waiting to unload cargo at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, compared with 40 two weeks ago, according to officials monitoring marine traffic in San Pedro Bay.

According to data from the Port of Los Angeles, the average waiting time has risen from 7.6 days at the end of August to 8.5 days currently , and experts predict that as the peak season approaches, cargo volumes will not slow down and congestion will continue to worsen .

Dr. Johannes Schlingmeier, co-founder and CEO of Container xChange, said: “The 60% increase in arrivals and departures at US West Coast ports exceeds pre-pandemic levels, indicating that ports are overstressed and therefore indicating that further congestion is expected in the coming months. ”

He also said that in the coming months, which are the most critical months for the industry, there will be higher demurrage and detention charges, higher spot rates and surcharges , which will greatly increase the costs for shippers until they are finally resolved.

The epidemic and the peak season have made the already not very smooth ports even more congested. According to FreightWaves, in some places , containers have been parked at ports or terminals for more than 30 days . In addition, some shippers said that the delivery time of their goods has been extended by six to eight weeks .

The continued growth in cargo volume has also contributed to the worsening of port congestion . Data from the Port of Long Beach showed that as of July, the port handled 5.5 million TEUs, an increase of 32% over the same period last year. The Port of Long Beach has broken monthly cargo records in 12 of the past 13 months.

In addition, port congestion has also disrupted sellers' shipping plans. The American Apparel and Footwear Association said in an interview that a luggage company it works with usually ships 11 containers before August each year to catch up with peak season sales . But so far, the luggage company has only shipped 3 containers...

According to foreign media reports, as cargo delays and berth wait times continue at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, people are already very concerned about holiday inventory. If congestion continues into October, goods worth up to $90 billion will be affected.

Maersk reported longer wait times for vessels at both the West and East Coast ports of the U.S. Congestion is spreading inland from ports such as Los Angeles/Long Beach, Savannah and Seattle due to labor constraints and limited yard capacity.

The congestion at US ports also has a great impact on freight forwarders and sellers. Sellers will suffer losses if they are out of stock and encounter congestion, while freight forwarders will be constantly urged by sellers. One freight forwarder said: " I really hope that the congestion problem at US ports will be solved as soon as possible, so that my customers will not come to me every day to solve the problem like sending short essays ... "

This short sentence expresses the frustration of sellers and freight forwarders in the congestion. However, the peak season has arrived and the shipment volume will surge again. I am afraid that the port congestion problem will not be solved in a short time ...

port

Congestion

Mason

Ocean Freight