MSC has announced four additional container wayport storage hubs as part of its Covid-19 suspension of transit (SOT) offering to shippers looking to avoid congestion and high storage costs at destination ports on non-essential goods.....MORE
The SOT product is targeted at shippers that have been unable to cancel or halt orders from Asia and will have containers en route in the coming weeks for markets in lockdown.
Freeport (Bahamas), Gioia Tauro (Italy), Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Las Palmas (Spain) are the latest transhipment hub storage facilities MSC will offer its customers at time of booking.
The original six “buffer ports” were: Bremerhaven (Germany), Busan (South Korea), King Abdullah (Saudi Arabia), Lome (Togo), Rodam PSA International Terminal (Panama) and Tekirdag Asyaport (Turkey).
The carrier claimed that as “advance storage” ports, the SOT hubs will assist shippers to “begin moving goods early in anticipation of a resumption in demand, in an efficient and cost-effective way” once the coronavirus crisis is over.
“The SOT programme is proving to be particularly useful for beneficial cargo owners and cargo consolidators, all of which are faced with congestion at ports of destination and the related possibility of high warehousing storage costs,” said MSC.
The carrier said it would suspend the transit of containers at the interim hubs “upon your request”, but in practical terms, and to avoid expensive onboard re-stows, the request will need to be made at the time of the booking....
Related:
April 9
More Old-School Logistics: "Long route to Asia may be the best bet for US LNG exporters in weak market"
April 5
Old School Logistics: CMA CGM Takes the Long Way Around
