News / Europe's feeder operators feel the pressure as volumes from Asia decline

Annaba has an asset value of $14m, having fallen from a peak of $37m in April, with a scrap value of $4m. Photo: Vessselfinder

The knock-on effect from blanked sailings from Asia has significantly reduced the need for feeder services across North Europe.

The skipped main line calls, with a sharp decline in transhipment volumes, are obliging feeder operators to combine service loops or suspend them and, where they can, return ships to owners when charter periods expire.

For example, the port of Hamburg, a key transhipment hub for the Baltic region, reported yesterday that feeder volumes had “suffered a striking downturn”.

At North Europe’s two biggest ...