01 April 2021

Suez Canal Update

While there is now progress with movement in the Suez Canal, it is likely to take more than a week to clear the backlog of vessels waiting on both the North and Southside of the canal.

Schedules for vessels due to pass through the canal are constantly changing – some will wait for a new slot to transit the Suez, while others will continue to re-route around the Cape of Good Hope. We are keeping track of these changes and our teams will contact you in regards to what this means for your shipments.

The delays caused by the Suez blockage do not help the existing equipment and space shortages. We expect to continue to see disruption to existing schedules, further equipment shortages, and a backlog of bookings awaiting available vessels.

Possible Service Disruptions

We have seen varied approaches from carriers in response to the current situation. In general, many are starting to put a hold on accepting new bookings. Whilst this will disrupt global trade lanes further, it is especially prevalent on the Asia to Europe trade lane.

To ensure you have the most updated and accurate information available, we will continue to communicate openly and proactively with a suite of possible solutions.

To this point, we have multiple solutions available to ensure your supply chain continues to function with as minimal disruption as possible, including:
·       Twice-weekly LCL consolidations via road from Asia to Europe
·       Full truckloads solutions from Asia to Europe
·       LCL/FCL solutions via rail from Asia to Europe
·       LCL/FCL solutions via rail from Europe to Asia
·       Weekly air and LCL ocean consolidations to and from Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and The Americas

Our teams are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to keep you updated.

If you have any questions, please contact your sales rep or your local Mainfreight team.