Developments and implications of the Suez Canal blockage

30 March 2021

After blocking the Suez Canal for almost an entire week, the vessel Ever Given finally broke free on Monday afternoon. Maritime traffic is slowly starting up again, but sadly, this does not solve everything yet.

Detour via Africa

Many shipping companies, including Maersk, CMA CGM, and OOCL, have now opted for their ships to take a detour. They will sail via the Cape of Good Hope, a detour that adds at least 10 days to the journey. The shipping companies chose this route because of the uncertain situation surrounding the developments in the Suez Canal.

Disruption to last for a long time

A gigantic queue of more than 350 container ships is currently still anchored off the Suez Canal. Now that the waterway is passable again, this backlog has to be cleared first, which is estimated to take 3 to 6 days.

As well as causing delays, the Suez Canal obstruction is the root of other disruption. As the container ships are at sea for a longer time, the container shortage in the Far East will deteriorate again in the period ahead. In addition, the discharge congestion at European ports will increase further. We are expecting weeks or months of disruption caused by the stranded vessel Ever Given in the Suez Canal.

China sea freight tariffs

Importing from China has been exceptionally expensive for months. Fortunately, sea freight tariffs slowly started to drop over the last few weeks. The problems in the Suez Canal have sadly changed the situation once again, and a further drop in sea freight tariffs seems unlikely. Tariffs are expected to stay at the current levels for the time being.

Track your consignment

Did you know that you can now track your consignment with Ritra Cargo? Log in to our ‘TRACOS Lite’ portal, where you will find a list of all the important information about your shipment(s). This includes ETD, ETA, and possible delays. Request your login details now.

It goes without saying we will still track your consignment(s) at all times too. We will inform you as soon as possible if there are any important status updates.

Message dated 25 March 2021

Developments at the Suez Canal

As a result of the unfortunate situation the vessel Ever Given finds itself in this week, the Suez Canal is impassable until further notice. Despite earlier attempts to free the ship from its predicament, the situation remains unchanged.

New options are discussed, of course, but it will sadly be a while before everything starts to run as it should.

Aftermath to last weeks

The maritime traffic waiting to pass Through the Suez Canal after the vessel Ever Given will experience significant delays. Unfortunately, this also means that all consignments still waiting to leave will experience severe disruption.

We estimate this could last at least a few weeks – we are clearly at the mercy of the shipping companies in this situation. Please be assured that your dedicated Ritra Cargo contact person will keep you updated on what to expect for your specific consignments en route.

Importing via other modalities

As an alternative to sea freight from the Far East, Ritra Cargo would be pleased to offer options via airfreight, rail transport, Sea-Air or Sea-Rail. Please bear in mind that these routes are also a little busier than usual right now.

Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the possibilities.