The last sailing
from Felixstowe will be by the 8,822-TEU MSC Athens in week 51, with the first sailing from Liverpool by the 6,478-TEU Maersk Sembawang planned for the following week.
"After
careful evaluation of our network covering North Europe to/from North America,
we will change our UK port call from Felixstowe to Liverpool," said a
customer advisory from Maersk.
The
2M said it would continue to blank its TA4/NEUATL4 transatlantic loop "until
further notice", but according to Alphaliner, the average weekly capacity
on its three remaining strings has increased by 16.5 per cent to 19,800 TEU,
with the deployment of larger ships to compensate.
The
news of the lost transatlantic service is a further blow to the port of
Felixstowe which, among UK container hubs, has come under the most pressure
from the surge in import volumes.
Inherent
issues with its problematic vehicle booking system have also been a factor in
landside congestion and slow ship working. Carriers have diverted a number of
calls to continental ports in the past month, leaving thousands of UK imports
effectively stranded due to the absence of any prompt relay options.
Meanwhile,
the situation at DP World Southampton has deteriorated, with the port
seeing the cancellation at the weekend of the call by the NYK Deneb on THE Alliance's transatlantic service and the omission of the CMA CGM Kerguelen.
"Congestion
and delays at the port of Southampton have deteriorated recently and we are now
witnessing similar issues to those at Felixstowe," said Brentwood-based forwarder Westbound Logistics.
"In
the past week, there have been weather closures due to fog, a shutdown in
customs software, vessel delays and the emergence of the serious restitution
issue. This has resulted in failed deliveries, further transport backlogs from
the port and more price increases on urgently required deliveries," said
Westbound.
Moreover,
the situation is set to get worse for UK importers as carriers consider
their options for January, according to UK's Loadstar.
It's
understood that the Ocean Alliance is drawing up plans to
omit the Felixstowe call throughout January, with all UK cargo
to be discharged at Zeebrugge and feedered back to "other less-congested
ports". However, the decision needed the final agreement of other
partners, but the only real hurdle was the lack of available feeder tonnage.
The
big fear for UK importers and exporters is that, even after the current
pressures ease, the UK will be relegated to the status of a feeder trade.
Source
: HKSG / Photo : SN-TR.
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