Author Topic: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:  (Read 6339 times)

Offline chrisg46

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5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« on: February 22, 2014, 08:24:55 AM »
At 8 am today, 22 Feb, shipping is queuing up for a berth at Felixstowe . . Northern Javelin, YM Unanimity, MSC Katrina, MSC Melissa and Balkan are waiting for berths at the Sunk deepwater anchorage, and some probably still have a couple of days to wait . . MSC Katrina had an unconfirmed call at London Gateway booked, but changed back to Felixstowe, probably because Gateway's already booked regular traffic had to come first.

If this level of waiting time continues when Gateway have their 2nd berth ready, there'll be more vessels making ad-hoc calls there, and I believe that they'll announce more service switches, too.

It's also a very clear demonstration of exactly how vulnerable our import-based physical goods economy is to bad weather at sea. If the 500 boxes recently lost overside had been inbound and loaded with consumer goods for the UK, you'd be seeing empty spaces on the shop shelves!
Chris
I'm a working shipping journo, and run a website called ShippingTV . . .
http://www.shippingtv.co.uk

Offline Alan Green

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2014, 08:51:45 AM »
I do not understand why Felixstowe are not diverting appropriate sized vessels to the other Hutchinson facility at Thamesport. (Is it cost, operational restrictions, location, navigation).

The diversions to London Gateway obviously allow the likes of Maersk and MSC to test the  infrastructure and operational capabilities.

 

Offline holedrille

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2014, 09:37:56 AM »
Surely there will be a stack of containers waiting to load at the designated port, so it is no good sending the ship to an alternative? Unless a fleet of lorries hurry from one to the other.
Holedriller

Offline chrisg46

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2014, 09:46:29 AM »
It isn't quite so simple. Felixstowe has doubtless offered ocean carriers everything it can to get vessels to divert to Thamesport, but the lines clearly don't want to go there - and it is entirely their decision. Only Maersk have taken them up on the offer with Maersk Kithira, and I think that was essentially because there was no space on the day at Gateway.

But the problem with using any other port is that all of that particular line's UK operation is based in one place - so there's a constant road/rail stream of empty and export boxes, stacks of empties, transhipment boxes from feeders, etc., to be dealt with and to be backloaded onto ships. However, this is more of an inconvenience than a disaster - most lines have several ships a week covering some of the same destination ports, and they often can access container slots on other lines ships.

But imports are different - most import these days is on a just-in-time basis, so if imports are a day late getting to UK factories or shops, those factories can come to a standstill, or the shops have empty shelves.

The one-off calls that have happened at Gateway and Thamesport so far have been unload-only, I understand, and that means that anything due to have been loaded onto that ship from Felixstowe will have to be dealt with on another vessel. Meanwhile, they give Gateway more experience of both quayside and landside operation, and mean that they'll be able to keep improving what they do before berths 2 and 3 open.

Reports currently say that their quayside operations are speeding up, although I haven't heard much about their landside - hauliers and the haulage industry seem to be keeping a little quiet about any problems!
« Last Edit: February 22, 2014, 09:50:50 AM by chrisg46 »
Chris
I'm a working shipping journo, and run a website called ShippingTV . . .
http://www.shippingtv.co.uk

Offline DAVE NINNIM

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2014, 09:49:59 AM »
Thamesport no longer have enough labour and they have moth-balled some of their cranes.
For those supporters of Felixstowe who maybe a tad bias against Gateway this is a classic example of why extra ports/berths are required. Imagine what it will be like 'if' we hit boom times again.

Offline Michael

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2014, 12:10:33 PM »
Unfortunately this weeks delays at Felixstowe were not all weather related, it was expected that several vessels would divert but in the end many did not, it is clear that shippers are still nervous about LGW, that in time will change though as they ramp up. All shipping lines were forewarned that this week would be bad so had ample opportunity to divert if they wished. The delays are down to the sheer number of vessels booked to arrive at the Port this week, despite slow steaming and adjustments to schedules it still culminated in more vessels due to arrive than the Port could possibly hope to turn around.

I am told....by those that know these things....that this was always going to be a very busy week, we have had almost wall to wall vessels and virtually every berth full and FSR has almost totally been double vessel booked. I am also told that much of this surge is a catch after the Chinese new year, as was much of the rush before to get empties out there.

I do agree we need more deep water berth space in the UK, in due course there will be enough traffic for both, but as in every two horse race, one will always have more.

« Last Edit: February 22, 2014, 02:09:04 PM by Michael »

Offline chrisg46

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2014, 04:52:04 PM »
Sad to hear that, Derek, 'cos I think I try quite hard to be even-handed!

As you doubtless know, I live in Felixstowe, so in absolute terms, I'd like to see Felixstowe coming off best in the competition. But I do find Felixstowe extremely hard work to get on with.

I often ask them for information, and have suggested stories and items that I'd like to do, but get little response if any - I get more information from one of the docker's blogs (http://felixstowedocker.blogspot.co.uk/) than I get from the Port's officials.

On the other hand, Gateway and DP World's people in general are keen to help - I get invited to film at the port, and have interviewed 3 or 4 Gateway directors, who've been keen to talk. Other ports and shipping lines have also been kind to my www.shippingtv.co.uk - and I've had interesting feedback from around the world.

I'd love to do more with Felixstowe, so if anyone can persuade them to step up and be more pro-active, I'd be delighted! In the meantime, I'll have to carry on doing stories that interest me with the people who help me the most in producing them!
Chris
I'm a working shipping journo, and run a website called ShippingTV . . .
http://www.shippingtv.co.uk

Offline Alan Green

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2014, 08:23:07 PM »
I am advised that the recent call of the Sealand Eagle at LGW was to bring containers that had been dropped in Bremerhaven by another vessel that should have berthed at Felixstowe but had either been diverted from, or simply dropped, the UK port of call.

Maersk market a product known as " Daily Maersk " and have to be very careful about maintaining transit times.

Offline Alan Green

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Re: 5-ship queue at Felixstowe:
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2014, 08:35:23 PM »
MSC Barbara was due to berth Felixstowe on 25.02.14 but now booked to berth at LGW on 24.02.14 at 1400 hrs.

 

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