News / Asia-Europe carriers play hardball with threats of service suspension

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Shippers on the Asia-North Europe tradelane are worried about a heightened risk to their supply chains as ocean carriers threaten to lay-up ships ahead of the Chinese New Year in February.

Indeed, after the eye-watering slump in liner profitability in the third quarter and expected heavy losses in Q4, carriers are under intense pressure from shareholders to address the cash burn in preparation for the start of the new financial year.

And among the carrier networks it is the Asia-Europe services that ...