WELL, that was a week! A few highs, a few lows, and month end keeping things interesting right to the finish. Thankfully, there’s plenty happening in shipping to take our minds off it.
Let’s start with the Black Sea, where the containership Contship Jet, operating under charter to ZIM, sank off Bulgaria on 29 October after being attacked by sea drones. It was carrying 421 containers, and the sinking marks at least the fifth commercial vessel attacked in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, tensions in the Indo-Pacific are also building, with Taiwan reporting more than 50 Chinese naval and other official vessels operating across waters near Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.
And in the Middle East, commercial shipping continues to face serious security risks. The IMO has recorded 121 maritime security incidents across the Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman since the conflict began, with 24 seafarers killed.
Meanwhile, labour uncertainty remains another factor to watch, with a potential strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach threatening to disrupt terminal operations from 1 November.
The Drewry World Container Index fell 3% this week, driven by lower Transpacific rates, while the Intra-Asia Container Index edged up 3%. Congestion is easing at major hubs such as Shanghai and Singapore, helping stabilise rates, although smaller ports including Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta continue to face delays and vessel bunching.
We’re continuing to see delays across most services into Australia, with schedules still sliding as a result of previous disruptions. Not many services are currently operating within their scheduled windows, and this has also led to several changes to port rotations with our ports.
We’re heading into that time of year when everyone wants their containers before Christmas, but not too close to it! With everyone trying to time arrivals just right, securing bookings isn’t always easy. Remember, these are scheduled arrivals, not guarantees, and with delays averaging around seven days, a little flexibility will go a long way.
What else is happening out there?
Today’s photo is of the CMA CGM Samson, berthed at Patrick Terminals in Fremantle. The vessel operates on CMA CGM’s AAXS service between Southeast Asia and Australia. And if you’re thinking she looks long, you’re right, she measures around 334 metres!
Have a great weekend everyone!