The strong Aussie dollar and huge volumes of roofing insulation being shipped from the USA continue to fuel large backlogs ex USA.
The situation ex the West Coast (USA) has deteriorated and we can only assume it will continue to do so in the lead-up to Christmas and maybe beyond.
The issue is being exacerbated by the transhipment carriers carrying less cargo ex the USA to Australia due to congestion at the transhipment ports - vessels are also overbooked ex Asia.
Currently any new bookings are being allocated to vessels departing late November up to Early December. It should be noted also that many current bookings are being rolled (delayed) one vessel (up to a week) at time of shipment.
On a recent vessel there were approximately 800 TEU (20' FCL's) rolled.
We stress the need to for your shipments to be booked with us as early as possible to avoid lengthy delays. Naturally we will do all we can to accomodate all bookings but we need to be aware of the huge problems we continue to face in this trade lane.