News / Ocean carrier voyage blankings causing chaos and confusion for shippers

Ocean carriers are ramping-up their vessel blanking programmes from Asia as export demand weakens, but last-minute cancellations are causing chaos in supply chains and confusion within liner offices.

Moreover, shippers are having to navigate their way around ‘officially’ announced blank sailings and voyages pulled just days before arrival in China and held off the loading port, in what carriers term as ‘slidings’.

A UK-based NVOCC told The Loadstar liner sailings from China had become “pot luck” and accused carriers of running “tramp services” ...