Trans-Pacific facing new booking risks as reliability sinks

Shippers moving cargo from Asia to North America face tighter vessel capacity and greater difficulty securing bookings in the weeks ahead, while deteriorating service reliability threatens delivery schedules across major east-west trades, according to WiseTech Global’s October Ocean Freight Risk Outlook. Capacity remains comparatively plentiful on Asia-Europe and Europe-North America routes, but available slots do not necessarily translate into on-time arrivals. On the trans-Pacific, reduced planned carrier capacity is expected to compound already weak service performance . “Capacity is forecast to tighten towards the end of the outlook period, driven by reduced planned carrier capacity rather than stronger demand,” WiseTech said of the Asia-North America trade. Its booking security risk indicator also is expected to rise and remain well above its historical average, signaling greater difficulty obtaining space on preferred sailings.