News / Soaring costs put the squeeze on feeder operators, while profit-fat liners look on

Feeders ships are expected to get boxes into smaller UK ports © Joseph Golby

The future of some feeder services in North Europe is under threat from the pincer movement of sky-high charter hire rates and escalating port delays.

Feeder operators are paying at least double the daily hire rate of a year ago for the same ships and, at the same time, losing their traditional modus operandi, which is based on flexibility, by being obliged to commit to charters of two years or more with owners.

So, as container lines discharge more containers at alternative ...