During the last year, carriers quickly found out that good, regular, and transparent communication with all stakeholders is vital. Luckily, many were already quite ready IT-wise to enter home-office mode, able to respond almost normally to incoming inquiries and keep businesses up and running.
In such a time, it is important to be swift in decisions; the ability to be flexible is decisive. One key takeaway from this period has been the benefits of online meetings. These should become more routine, even though they cannot replace meetings in person.
For shippers, a constant and close communication flow with transportation providers is key, as capacity will be tight throughout the year. In a tight market, it is even more important for shippers and their carrier partners to know and understand each other’s requirements to build closer relations.
Shippers need to secure space well in advance in order to ensure cargo flows according to plan. And they need to communicate in a timely manner when things do not happen according to plan. Port congestion and productivity issues will remain a major topic throughout all of 2022, which means shippers need to adjust lead times to allow for buffers in case of delays.
For both the container and the multipurpose sector, the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will still be the biggest challenge. This includes productivity issues, delays in cargo readiness, delays and congestion in ports, and COVID-19-related restrictions at terminals, on board ships, and beyond.
Carriers will continue their efforts to offer the space and capacity their clients need. “Special arrangements” like containers being carried on multipurpose or bulk vessels and vessels being chartered by forwarders and even merchants will likely persist for some time. In addition, oil prices have gone up quite dramatically, which means bunker costs have once again become a concern as well.