Breathe easy

摘要

Port congestion is probably the number one issue for shippers and their service providers. European Shippers' Council secretary-general Nicolette van der Jagt advocates the use of service performance indicators as an early warning system of potential difficulties. At a recent conference on port congestion in Amsterdam, many delegates were adamant that terminal congestion is a structural problem as maritime facilities continue to struggle with ever-increasing container flows. More and more intermodal transfers are being delayed, but there are few figures available about the real costs of such delays. Some carriers might face additional charges for missed berthing slots in subsequent ports, higher fuel costs to make up schedules, readjustef schedules, missed feedere and train connections, changed documents and penalties. But in the end, shippers will pay: through higher freight bills, including congestion charges for container shipmentrs and inefficieny costs. Delays result in huge costs for importers, and a serious lack of predictability and reliability in supply chains. This situation was described by one shipper as 'flying economy class, but paying for a business-class ticket'.