Sea container delays
The shipping company are advising of delays on a few of our shipments and we have no control over the situation. The current global situation has resulted in less vessels sailing, and more containers being loaded onto any available vessels. The volume of import freight going into Europe is higher than predicted. This has resulted in longer docking times for each vessel when they arrive at port to discharge/refuel and has caused a knock-on effect. Social distancing at ports are causing processes to take longer than normal. Felixstowe Port has had a recent spike in congestion, so vessels are getting diverted to other UK ports to absorb the pressure. The delays in Europe are now impacting the return journey back to China as there is freight currently delayed at ports in China due to the lack of vessels and equipment returning within the scheduled times.
Train (express)
There is currently a backlog of trains in transit to Liege, Belgium which is causing the delay. I’m afraid that the delays are outside of our control and we are advised by the shipping company on its progress.