Freight News, Sea

Continent-UK deepsea price gap widens, says Peel Ports expert

[ April 22, 2021   //   Chris ]

Deepsea ocean rates to UK ports are now around $1,000 a box more than those to Continental European ports, Peel Ports commercial director Stephen Carr told an online preliminary session of the Coastlink shortsea shipping event on 22 April. He said that recent disruptions to shipping, including Covid and, more recently, the Suez Canal blockage had widened differentials between the two, to the extent that using feeder or shortsea solutions between the Continent and UK was becoming more viable.

However, it was too early to say whether the changes were only a short term phenomenon or a permanent change in the market. However, he suggested that the move to bigger containerships might prompt operators to concentrate on few port calls, possibly omitting those in the UK in preference to major Continental hubs such as Rotterdam or Antwerp.

Tags: Peel Ports; Coastlink