News / 'Volatile' box trade has shifted 'from a demand crisis to an operational crisis'

The era of low-cost ocean freight could be over as volatility and exception handling become the new battleground for forwarders and carriers.

According to Otto Schacht, Kuehne + Nagel’s executive vice president of sea logistics, this year’s supply chain shocks and volatility mean container shipping is moving away from being largely cost-focused.

For example, he said, many customers were expecting a 50%-60% drop in volumes in April and May, but demand came back much faster than expected, with the resulting uncertainty having ...