The transpacific has seen so many new players enter the red-hot tradelane during the pandemic to the point where non-alliance services account for 35% of the trade capacity, according to new data from Danish consultancy Sea-Intelligence. The other three major trades to the east coast as well as to Europe have seen much less change.
The transpacific has welcomed many erstwhile Chinese intra-Asia players recently while a host of shippers have also chartered their own ships to battle the supply chain crunch that has bedevilled retailers and manufacturers over the past 18 months.
As to why it is principally the Asia – US west coast route that has seen new entrants, Sea-Intelligence explained in its latest weekly report that this was largely down to the fact that barriers of entry are smaller on this trade lane compared to the other main east-west box routes.
The comparatively shorter distance to the US west coast requires fewer ships to make a service and also vessels on this trade lane tend to be smaller than on the other mainlines.
Author: Sam Chambers
Photo: Wayne Via / Shutterstock.com
