10/04/2022

Sea Freight

Global ocean container major trades 2021

        In 2021, 179 million TEU was shipped globally with Major Trades by sea freight  accounting for 78% (141 million TEU) of that figure.

       The mainstream East-West Trades continue to dominate, but North-South trades are catching up. There was also a high and growing volume of Intra Regional Trade.

        Almost all trades experienced significant imbalances, in particular high-volume trades connected with Asia.

 The rotation of the new service will be Shanghai – Shekou – Brisbane – Sydney – Shanghai. The service will run with 4,200 TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) capacity vessels on a 35 day round trip. 

Biggest container ports

More than 80% of the largest ports in the world are located in Asia, including the port of Shanghai which is the largest in the world. Within Europe, Rotterdam and Antwerp are the most significant ports.

Global container transport chains

Containers can travel from their point of origin to their destination through a series of different transport modes. In the case of intermodal transport, pre- or on-carriage rates can either be paid together with ocean freight as an all-in rate (door to door, or “DODO”) or separately.

Contractual agreements

The details of global shipments are laid down in contracts, often including multiple parties, which define the terms and rates of the shipment. The shipper may use its own freight management or delegate it to a fourth-party logistics (4PL) provider. The shipper’s contractual partner does not necessarily have to be the owner or operator of the ship. It also can be a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) or 4PL. Non-vessel operating carriers may be a freight forwarder or other form of contracting “carrier” who undertakes to provide carriage of goods but either does not own vessels or, even if this is a vessel owner, space may be used on board vessels belonging to other owners.
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