IHSA Shippers Association

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Supply Chain Woes Continue

The shipping environment is wreaking havoc on US importers trying to get products into their supply chains prior to the upcoming holiday season. To make matters worse, there is no end in sight to the shipping turmoil facing shippers. Logistic experts are predicting the current turmoil will last at a minimum through February 2022. Shippers have been left wondering how Asia to…

All Facets of US Supply Chain in Turmoil

Finding container space is not the only problem facing US importers. Once a container arrives at the marine terminal to be off loaded, the shipper can expect a stack of new problems. Port congestion, chassis availability, truck power, and rail capacity are just a few of the issues preventing cargo from moving freely to US distribution centers. Port congestion has…

Container Space Has Reached Crisis Stage

Experts predicted that finding space on containerships was going to be a challenge for shippers during the 2021-22 contract period. However, no one predicated the severity that the space crisis is currently having on supply chains across the US. To make matters worse, the lack of container space has not peaked yet. The space problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets…

Asia to U.S. Contracted Container Space is Sold Out

It is going to be a challenging year for the entire shipping industry. March imports in the Transpacific jumped 51%. Every major trade publication is predicting that the 2021 space issues will be much worse than what the industry experienced in 2020. The carriers have sold out all space for the 2021-22 contract period. This unprecedented space crisis is going to present many…

Carriers Flex Their Muscles During Negotiations

Ocean contract negotiations for cargo moving from Asia to the US are coming to an abrupt end. Negotiations in this market traditionally start in February and last until the end of April. The unprecedented demand in the market has drastically changed the negotiation timetable. Carriers have made it clear that shippers waiting to finalize contracts at the end of April in hopes of…

Service Contracts Underway for Asia to US Cargo

Shippers moving containers from Asia to the US are in the midst of very tough service contract negotiations. As anticipated, the carriers are demanding very strict container commitment guidelines, reductions in free time and significant rate increases. Finding sufficient carriers to meet your forecasted container demand has been the biggest challenge for shippers since 2021…

IHSA Declares 2020 Refund

The surge in US imports over the last six months has been unprecedented and is causing problems in all facets of the supply chain. Carriers are telling importers to expect this highly volatile market to last through the 2021 Chinese New Year. A few carriers are suggesting this volatility will last through October 2021. Through all the volatility, the support of IHSA’s…

Supply Chain Challenges Will Linger in 2021

Carrier consolidation has created a landscape that is vastly different than it was five years ago. The transpacific trade lane has been reduced to 3 mega alliances that are extremely powerful and able to quickly adapt to changes in the market. The power of these alliances was on full display in 2020. One thing is for certain, the carriers’ newfound ability to control capacity…

Container Lines Own the Leverage

At the beginning of every contract negotiation period, the shipping industry speculates whether the carriers or the shippers have the leverage to drive the contract negotiations. There is no speculation heading into the 2021 contract process. The carriers have 100% of the power barring a major collapse in the global economy. Shippers that fail to accept the new carrier tactics…