/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

Time-Saving Tips for Shipping Freight

Time-Saving Tips for Shipping Freight
Time-Saving Tips for Shipping Freight

For the best shipping rates, you want to start the process of preparing your shipment as soon as possible. Depending on what you're shipping, this may involve packing, packing, and placing your cargo on pallets for dry truck loading. If you have flatbed hauling, such as heavy equipment, you will need to collect the make and model, as well as the size and weight of the load. Once you have your load ready and have a solid plan for the size of the load, it's time to decide on shipping. By taking these steps before contacting the company for shipping costs, you can save a lot of backtracking.

Choose your shipping type

Do you ship by full truckload, including 26 pallets or 46,000 lbs? Or would you like to ship some of your shipments using less than full truckload (LTL) freight services? Either is possible, but you need to know which type of shipping service to request.

Choose a trailer

Determine the type of trailer required for loading. If the load requires weather protection and safety, a dry truck trailer is the way to go. However, your load must fit on a 53-foot wall trailer. If you're transporting oversized loads, heavy equipment or vehicles, a flatbed trailer is your only option. Unprocessed liquids and bulk commodities such as corn or grain require tanker trailers. A refrigerated trailer is required for cargo that must be kept at a certain temperature, such as frozen meat or fresh fruit. Know the basic trailer type you need to get a more accurate shipping rate.

Determine the distance

The biggest determinant of shipping costs is how far the goods need to be transported. Get the shipping and delivery destination addresses before contacting anyone for shipping costs. The freight company will calculate the exact mileage based on the actual mileage or short distance mileage. The difference between actual and short mileage is the mileage required to deliver the load. Typically, short-haul miles cost less than actual miles by up to 5%.

While you might be inclined to choose shipping rates based on short mileage, keep one thing in mind. Carriers who pay actual miles are generally considered higher-paid freight employers. These high-paying companies are able to attract higher-quality drivers who are more experienced and ready to work with the company long-term. This means for you usually a more specialized fleet to handle your freight and represent your brand in front of your customers.

Contact a shipping agent

You can contact individual shipping companies or independent contractors to obtain shipping charges for your shipments. However, time is of the essence, and you want to determine shipping quickly to avoid last-minute shipping surcharges. The easiest way is to contact a freight forwarder such as TJ chinafreight. We'll do the heavy lifting for you to shop around. Our team, working in over a hundred countries around the world, is always ready to help you. This enables you to get the most competitive price possible.

Make sure your load

Whether you hire a freight carrier or work with a shipping agent, you need to protect your cargo. This is where cargo insurance comes in. The shipping company will have its own liability insurance. However, you also need to make sure that the person you choose to ship the goods has adequate cargo coverage to cover the value of the goods you ship. If your load values ​​exceed your coverage limits, consider increasing your coverage.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

Asian owners have larger fleets than Europe

Clarksons Research Services, in its latest weekly report, highlights how Asian shipowners are finally reinventing their European counterparts to become the dominant force in global shipping.

European owners have historically had the largest share of the global fleet, with 44% of gt at the turn of the century, and Asian owners 32%.
Led by rapid growth in China, Asian shipowners overtook Europe last year, and looking at global orders, the gap will widen in the coming years. According to a recent report by Clarksons Research, by the end of 2021, Asian shipowners currently have a market share of 43% (48,472 ships, 637 million gt) of world fleet capacity in terms of gross tonnage, surpassing that of European shipowners. 42% market share of fleet capacity (30,610 vessels, 630 million gt).

Over the past decade, Chinese shipowners have increased their fleet gross tonnage from 111 million to 226 million and are now the second largest shipowner of all countries with a 15% global share. shipping goods in China

Asian shipowners now account for 43% of global tonnage, with 48,472 vessels totalling 637 million tons, according to Clarkson. This exceeds the 42% share of European shipowners, comprising 30,610 vessels with a gross tonnage of 630 million.

“The tonnage shift from Europe to Asia looks set to continue for some time, with almost half of the global order book (79m GT, 49%) going to Asia Pacific owners compared to 33% (53m GT) for European owners,” Clarksons pointed out.

Asia dominates many other aspects of maritime, including ports, shipbuilding and crew supply.

In addition, Asia's growing market share in global trade is driving a large number of newbuilding investments in many Asian countries, which will eventually lead to a significant increase in fleet capacity share.

It is worth noting that despite the fact that countries in the region have experienced some of the strictest epidemic prevention and control restrictions in the past two years, with borders effectively closed for two years, the growth of the Asian fleet has remained very strong during the pandemic. s level.

Take the shipping industry as an example. After the outbreak, the container shipping market rebounded rapidly from the second half of 2020 after a brief downturn. Due to the supply chain congestion caused by the epidemic, there is an urgent need for a large number of container ships in the market. During this period, Asian container shipping companies ordered 236 ships, with a total capacity of 1.81 million TEU. And the pace of newbuilding orders is still showing no signs of slowing down.

With the exception of Greece, fleet growth in other European countries has been relatively sluggish, or even reversed. Taking Germany as an example, the combined capacity of German shipowners fell by 34% to 62 million gt during the same period.

Clarkson also said that this trend will continue to develop. Because the current market share of newbuildings owned by Asian shipowners also accounts for nearly half - 49% (79 million gt), it is worth mentioning that the total capacity of Chinese shipowners' newbuilding orders has reached 29 million gt, 18% of the world share.

However, the newbuilding order capacity of European shipowners is currently only 53 million gt, and the share is only 33%.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

Seaspan plans to expand investment in container ships.

 

In the past two years, the container shipping market has been hot. Although Seaspan, as the world's largest independent container ship owner, could have sat down and reveled in the high income, sufficient customers and long-term leases, due to the rapid development of the shipping industry, the The company still plans to expand its investment in container ships.

The Vancouver-based, Hong Kong-registered, Atlas Corporation-owned company has been growing at a record pace over the past year and a half. Its latest financial statements for 2021 confirmed that the company's cash flow was very solid, with a profit of $400 million in 2021, double the previous year. The leasing business added 70 newbuildings, or about 0.9 million TEU, and new contracts generated total cash flow of up to $12.9 billion.

Like the big liner companies, Seaspan is building a very strong capital pool. There is no doubt that investing in new projects is very easy for Seaspan. If a bank needs it to guarantee a loan, Seaspan can easily find a recent lease with a major liner company, which can last up to 18 years.

That said, Seaspan will still have an exceptionally strong funding position until 2040, even if the hot container market cools one day.

Seaspan and its shareholders want uninterrupted returns through continuous investment like a shipping company. Many large liner companies use their profits to invest in logistics assets. For example, Maersk bought LF, MSC bought Bolloré's African business, and CMA CGM bought Ceva.

But considering that the customers of these profiteers are now helpless to pay sky-high freight costs and endure long delays, in this case, shipping companies rely on their special tax incentives and use their high profits to acquire Another industry has exacerbated the negative sentiment in some parts of the supply chain market to a certain extent. Seaspan needs to study how to play a long-term "ship owner and operator" in the container shipping industry. business to best serve customers.

The issue has been discussed within the company for some time, but according to COO Torsten Pedersen, there is no final conclusion yet. But in general, the company aims to further strengthen its position in global value chains, including beyond 2025.

Ensuring a role in decarbonisation may be an option, but it may also be other activities, and opportunities abound in the chaotic container market.

“The industry is currently undergoing major changes, and the competitive environment is very different from a few years ago. Some links may be squeezed in the new structure, and there will be many strategic moves and counter-attacks in the industry. Huge market changes can provide many creative opportunities, we Think it's an exciting challenge."

"It's a good thing that Seaspan has a strong financial position" amid the boom in the container market, Pedersen said. Seaspan is currently achieving its stated goals. The company has struck deals with operators to build around 70 new ships over the next two or three years.

Concluding comments on the shipping industry, he said: "We have strong partners and long-term contracts, and our partner yards have a long history of shipbuilding. This is an industry that will be heavily funded in the next few years and the landscape is changing."

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

Huiyang Shipping’s first-quarter profit tripled year-on-year

The crisis in Russia and Ukraine pushed up the freight rate of bulk carriers, and the performance of Huiyang Shipping in March and the first quarter both hit record highs.

On April 6, Huiyang Shipping announced its financial report. The revenue in March was NT$2.203 billion (approximately RMB 486 million), and the self-settled operating profit was NT$1.139 billion (approximately RMB 251 million). The monthly pre-tax profit was NT$1.175 billion (approximately RMB 259 million).

The financial report shows that in the first quarter, Huiyang Shipping’s revenue was NT$5.754 billion (approximately RMB 1.269 billion), and its pre-tax profit was NT$2.777 billion (approximately RMB 612 million), three times that of the same period last year. , a record high for the same period of the previous year, with an average operating profit rate of 48%.

Huiyang Shipping said that the global dry bulk shipping market is still affected by the crisis in Russia and Ukraine. At present, due to the surge in oil prices and the transfer of raw material importing countries to other countries for procurement, the voyage has increased. These factors may increase the freight rate. However, whether the demand for raw materials is It can be fully supplemented by other regions, and the impact of subsequent economic sanctions by various countries still needs to be continuously observed.

On the other hand, the epidemic in mainland China heated up again in late March, and the first-tier cities along the coast were shut down due to epidemic prevention, resulting in a slight decline in the market volume. However, Huiyang Shipping believes that this is a short-term impact, and there is a possibility of demand recovery sex.

In terms of fleet planning, Huiyang Shipping received the 37,800-dwt handy-sized high-specification energy-saving and environmentally friendly bulk carrier "Bunun Treasure" delivered by Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan at the end of March, and has signed a stable charter. Up to now, the company's fleet operates 139 ships, with an average age of 7 years. The fleet size and the proportion of energy-saving ships are in a leading position in the industry.

Looking forward to 2022, Huiyang Shipping still maintains an optimistic attitude. Due to the rising freight market and raw material prices in recent years, the construction cost of bulk carriers has increased by about 30%-40% on average compared with the same period last year. The number of orders on hand for cargo ships is still low, and after the new environmental protection regulations hit the road in 2023, it is expected that the elimination of old ships will make the supply of capacity even tighter, and Huiyang Shipping maintains a consistent and stable ship purchase policy, which will give it a more competitive advantage.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

Frontline and Belgian tanker owner Euronav announce merger

Frontline, the oil tanker subsidiary of Norwegian shipping king John Fredriksen, and Euronav, the Belgian tanker owner, announced the merger. The new owner with 146 tankers surpassed China's China Merchants Shipping to become the "Big Mac" in the global very large tanker (VLCC) market. .

If the merger materialises, the combined group will continue to operate under the Frontline name and will continue to operate in Belgium, Norway, the UK, Singapore, Greece and the US. The combined group will be headed by Mr. Hugo De Stoop as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board of Directors of the combined group is expected to consist of seven members, including three current members of the independent Euronav Supervisory Board, two nominated by Hemen Holding Limited (“Hemen”) and additional Two new independent directors. Frontline's largest shareholder, Hemen, and related companies with stakes in Euronav have pledged to back the potential deal.

The companies said the combination provides economies of scale that will facilitate improved fleet utilization and ease the transition to digitalisation of logistics and the adoption of low-carbon fuels for tankers.

"The merger will create the world's leading independent tanker operator," KBC Securities wrote in a note to clients, while warning that there was no guarantee that a final merger agreement would be reached.

The merger will create a world-leading independent tanker operator with a market capitalization of more than $4.2 billion, with a fleet of 69 VLCCs (including 9 newbuildings under construction) and 57 Suezmaxes, as well as 20 LR2/Afra type oil tanker. In the VLCC market, the combined fleet of the two companies accounts for about 8% of the market, which is enough to exceed the 54 ships (including 3 new ships under construction) of China Merchants Steamship, the world's largest VLCC shipowner.

The combined, expanded fleet will enable the new company to better serve customers globally. Furthermore, given rapid technological change, including digitization and the application of new low-carbon fuels, new companies will be able to mobilize more resources to address these challenges and energy transition opportunities.

Commenting on the merger, John Fredriksen said: "The combination of Frontline and Euronav will create a market leader in the tanker market, allowing the combined group to continue to deliver shareholder value in addition to substantial synergies. The new Frontline will be able to provide our of customers providing value-added services, increasing fleet utilization and revenue, which will benefit all stakeholders.”

It is understood that last year, John Fredriksen purchased a 5.5% stake in Euronav through a subsidiary company CK Limited, and bought 7.7 million shares through another subsidiary company FamatownFinance. After two rounds of operations, John Fredriksen held 19.8 million shares of Euronav, with a shareholding ratio of 9.8%, which immediately triggered market speculation about the merger.

The merger is still subject to transaction structure, confirmatory due diligence, the terms and conditions of the potential merger agreement, applicable board, shareholder, customer, lender and/or regulatory approvals, employee consultations and other customary closing conditions.

Frontline and Euronav are working to reach and finalize an appropriate transaction structure for a potential business combination. It is not yet ripe for the market to complete the merger, and there is no guarantee that the parties will reach a final agreement, and the completion of any transaction is subject to the satisfaction of many of the above conditions. Frontline and Euronav will keep all stakeholders informed of any future developments in accordance with applicable regulations.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

McKinsey heralds bad news for shippers

Shippers must prepare for events in which the tight container market may not normalize until 2024, according to a new analysis by McKinsey & Company. But the consultancy told ShippingWatch that shipping rates could end up being 50% higher than pre-pandemic figures.

The container market has been strained since mid-2020 due to the huge demand for goods in the United States, port closures due to the pandemic, container shortages and extreme congestion at the world's largest and most important container ports.

The result of the tight market is the soaring of container freight rates. The revenue and profit of container shipping companies in the past two years have experienced historic growth. Last year, the total revenue of the top ten shipping companies exceeded 100 billion US dollars. The punctuality rate has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade.

Some shipper companies, which are customers of container shipping companies, have not stopped complaining about these situations for a long time, and they even believe that container shipping companies should be more strictly regulated.

But this recent McKinsey report throws cold water on shippers.

McKinsey, one of the world's largest management consulting firms, expressed its views on the current container shipping market in a report entitled "Navigating the current disruption in containerized logistics". A large number of new ships have been ordered to expand capacity, but the normalization of the container shipping industry may still be delayed until the first quarter. If the situation is worse, normalization of the market may take until after 2024.

McKinsey also noted that container freight rates will remain high for most of 2022, while disruptions to the container logistics supply chain will continue.

Steve Saxon, a McKinsey partner who is now a container market analyst based in McKinsey's Shenzhen office, said that if you asked us a few months ago for our views on the future of the container industry, we might also lean towards a positive (recovery) view. But right now, McKinsey is leaning more toward a pessimistic outlook -- bad news from a shipper's perspective.

McKinsey proposes four possibilities for the future development of the container shipping market.

In the most optimistic case, the container shipping market may return to normal in the third quarter of 2022. Normal freight volumes, normal capacity offers, and normal freight rates.

But McKinsey also said that the most optimistic scenario may not be possible.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Cargo • Shipping

Port Klang fire: 22 containers burned, 38 damaged

A severe fire broke out at the Westports terminal in Port Klang, Malaysia's main container port, with 22 containers burned and 38 damaged.

Port Klang Authority general manager K. Subramaniam said the fire started at 4.15pm (local time) on April 4. At around 4.45pm, the Port Police Control Centre (PPCC) received a call about a fire in the container yard.
After answering the call, the PPCC called the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) from Port Klang, which deployed two fire trucks to extinguish the blaze shortly after.
It took firefighters 11 hours to put out the blaze, which was fully extinguished around 3 a.m. on April 5.

Subramaniam pointed out that the container holds general cargo and does not contain dangerous goods. Affected box contents include auto parts, cotton products, baby walkers, audio equipment and lubricants.

"At this time, we are unable to determine the extent of the damaged containers. All affected box operators will be notified in due course," Westports said in a statement.
"There was no damage to port equipment and infrastructure. We are also pleased to inform that there were no injuries or disruptions to our operations.
"We would like to thank everyone involved in helping us put out the fire, especially the FRDs from various stations."

While investigating the cause of the fire, Subramaniam said: "Other than the blockade of the fire area for investigation, the container cranes were not affected and other areas of the port were operating normally."

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department chief Norazam Khamis said the fire initially spread to eight containers, which were stacked in two rows by weight. Westports crews attempted to move other containers to prevent the fire from spreading.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

A container ship full of Chinese cargo explodes and catches fire

One wave has not settled, and another has risen. In the recent period of time, various maritime related accidents have continued, and accidents have followed one after another. …

According to foreign media reports, at about 12:00 on April 6, a container ship "CMA CGM RABELAIS" with a capacity of 6,500 TUE exploded in the western part of the Strait of Malacca between the Andaman Islands and Banda Aceh Sumatra, followed by a fire.

The vessel was en route from Tanjung Pelepas to Nhava Sheva, India when the incident occurred, and reports said the vessel's AIS was off and adrift since the explosion.

It is understood that the container ship "CMA CGM RABELAIS" has a capacity of 6570TEU. It was built in 2010 and flies the flag of Malta. At the time of the incident, the ship was serving the AS1 (Asia Subcontinent Express) route of CMA CGM, and the voyage was 0FF5HW1MA.

Also, according to the voyage information of CMA CGM RABELAIS provided by Shipxun.com for Xinde Maritime.com, this voyage has successively called at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Guangzhou and other ports in China.

Therefore, it can be basically determined that this voyage is definitely loaded with goods from China.

CMA CGM RABELAIS is currently chartered and operated by CMA CGM, but its actual shipowner and manager company is DANAOS, an independent Greek shipowner company, which is a member of the Swedish Shipowners' Mutual Insurance Association.

The ship involves multiple shipping companies sharing cabins: ANL, APL, CMA CGM, CNC, COSCO SHIPPING, GOLD STAR LINE, OOCL, ZIM.

I would like to remind you that if there is a freight forwarding company carrying the ship, please pay attention to the dynamics of the ship and the cargo in time, keep in touch with the shipping company, and keep abreast of the latest situation of the ship and the cargo.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

Over 20 ships awaiting loading in Qatar port! Global LNG shortages worsen

The global LNG shortage has worsened, with the number of empty ships waiting to unload from Qatar, the world's top exporter, to the highest level in nearly a year.

As many as 21 LNG carriers are currently awaiting shipments off the coast of Qatar, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (NEF) pointed to the recent surge in empty ships waiting to be loaded, raising concerns that in the past few more than 20 vessels were waiting to be loaded at Qatari ports.

Bloomberg analysts believe there could be several reasons for the surge in empty ships, such as a technical problem at an LNG processing plant or upstream facilities reducing production, or Qatargas changing its maintenance schedule, but in this case it should be There won't be so many ships lined up to load because buyers are notified in advance.

Qatar’s LNG exports in February were well below the average for the same period over the past five years, and total LNG exports in March were estimated at 6.5 million tonnes, also lower than the same period in the previous two years.

The LNG ships have sailed back to Qatar after unloading in China, Japan, India and Italy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Typically, Qatar ships most of its LNG to Asian markets at this time of year, so Pacific buyers will be more sensitive to any supply disruption than Atlantic buyers.

Qatargas has yet to comment. Energy data provider Kayrros said Qatar Gas' No. 6 LNG liquefaction and purification plant was closed for more than a month before reopening on March 20.

Global LNG shortages intensify as Qatar exports dwindle and buyers in Asia and Europe try to find alternative sources of LNG outside of Russia, tightening the market and any supply disruption or production cuts will push up spot LNG prices.

Qatar Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said Qatar will continue to supply LNG to Europe and will not transfer LNG to other customers. Still, he refused to impose sanctions on Russia, reiterating that a complete ban on Russian gas supplies to Europe was "practically impossible". Qatar supplies LNG to some European countries in the form of convertible contracts.

/ By tjchinafreight ivy / Shipping

The container shipping market is in short supply, and the price of second-hand ships has skyrocketed

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the supply and demand of the container shipping market has been unbalanced, and the freight rate has skyrocketed. Shipping companies that are "not worried about money" have bought and leased them. The amount of scrap is almost zero.

According to Alphaliner data, container lines have gone on a spree to acquire more than 500 container ships in the second-hand ship market in the past 18 months. Among them, Mediterranean Shipping was the largest buyer, purchasing a total of 169 second-hand ships with a total capacity of 636,900 TEU; followed by CMA CGM, which purchased 62 ships with a total capacity of 207,000 TEU. Maersk Line only ranked third, purchasing 27 ships of 141,600 TEU. The fourth is Wan Hai Shipping, which purchased 23 ships of 139,700 TEU.

ALphaliner pointed out that at the beginning of the market recovery, the price of second-hand ships was still at a low level, which made it a better choice for container shipping companies to buy and lease. At the same time, many small non-operating ship owners (NOO) are struggling on the brink of bankruptcy due to years of low rental income, and it is difficult to resist the high prices offered by container shipping companies.

Currently in the second-hand ship market, container ship prices have soared to record highs. The hot sale situation has also made the scrapping of container ships almost zero, and the capacity in the charter market has plummeted by 1.6 million TEU.

At the same time, orders for new container ships also hit a record high last year. Clarkson's data shows that in 2021, the order volume of container ships will reach 569 ships of 4.3 million TEU, and the contract value is as high as 42.8 billion US dollars. This order level is even 29% higher than the previous record level of 3.3 million TEU in 2007. 3.5 times the average order volume in the 10 years ending in 2020.

Since 2022, there have been 124 new orders in the container ship market, with a total capacity of about 857,600 TEU. It is estimated that the order volume of container ships will remain at a high level after 2022.