The Dispatch - Issue #12

Typing this up at what is hopefully the tail-end of Storm Eunice, which has delivered the strongest wind ever recorded in England at 122mph (ca. 196 km/h). Obviously, this has knock on effects into supply chain disruptions, with ports shut & rail services suspended. There will be some good news for this industry soon…🙏🏻

Stay safe and enjoy the weekend.

Rates

Seeing signs that rates might be softening a little (it’s only ever going to be a little at this point). With long term fixed deals being pushed which are a lot more favourable than the spot market, but how they will compare in 6 months is the big concern.

Spot rates are being offered at workable levels for specific sailings and for certain types of cargo.

XSI® - C

Report a figure of $14,191 per 40’ container (FEU) dated 15/02/22 (down 0.47%)

FBX

Report a figure of $14,312 per 40’ container (FEU) dated 11/02/22 (down 1%)

News

Shippers need to ‘wake up’ – UK Customs changes post-Brexit are real - The Loadstar

Shippers are “sleepwalking” towards the changeover of the UK’s customs infrastructure and need to “wake up” rather than seek to saddle HMRC with the blame for their failings, say freight specialists. From September, UK imports will run through the new Customs Declaration Service (CDS), as HMRC termi…

The LoadstarAlex Whiteman

New wave of contracts will lock in much higher shipping rates

Long-term contract rates are at record highs. Shipping lines hold all the cards at the negotiating table.

FreightWavesGreg Miller, Senior Editor

Light at the end of the tunnel? UK driver shortage crisis eases - The Loadstar

A bit of good news for the UK’s beleaguered shippers and freight forwarders – there are tentative signs that the driver shortage crisis might be beginning to abate. New research from Logistics UK shows that while there were 49,000 fewer HGV drivers in the workforce in the fourth quarter of 2021 comp…

The LoadstarGavin van Marle

Here’s what actually happens to all your online shopping returns

Ordering clothes from Chinese fast-fashion brands like Shein is easy. Sending them back is a lot more complicated

Rest of WorldMeaghan Tobin

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