Due to the imbalance in world trade flows, shipping lines have changed their routes and prefer to move empty containers to Asia, a situation that generates shortages and causes increases in freight rates and raw material prices.
In this scenario of new commercial reality, the operating costs of maritime freight have been impacted, since due to the restrictions imposed in several countries around the world, containers have been stranded.
In Honduras, tugging services are being tendered for the execution of docking and undocking of ships, for the maritime terminals of Cortés, Omoa, Tela and San Lorenzo.
Honduras Government purchase LPI-ENP-01-2020:
"Consists of providing docking and undocking services in Puerto Cortés and Omoa with a minimum of 2,400 operations between two tugboats in the twelve months, redocking service in the Port of Tela that includes time for the vessel to be kept and the crossing.
Currently, transporting goods by sea between Central American countries can increase freight costs by at least 60% compared to the land option, which represents an obstacle to changing the way goods are transferred in the region.
As a result of the closure of the Penas Blancas customs crossing, on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, some businessmen in the region had to resort to the sea route in order to deliver their orders.
After the Quetzal Port Company of Guatemala and the Port of Chiapas, Mexico, signed an agreement for strategic commercial promotion, it is expected that in May the short sea route will begin to operate.
The potential offered by the Port of Chiapas as a logistic node for commercial exchange from and to Central America, as well as with other international markets, makes it a strategic place for the promotion of the Short Sea Shipping (SSS) project with Guatemala and eventually with other Mesoamerican countries, informed the Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT).
Since mid-July, the main companies transporting maritime cargo from the Port of Santa Tomas in Guatemala stopped operating the direct route to Europe, which will raise between 20% and 25% the costs of imports and exports.
After six decades of keeping the direct route to European ports in operation, the main shipping companies departing from Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla in Izabal such as Maersk, Hamburg Sud, MSC, CMA-CGM, Hapas Lloyd and Sea Trade, decided not to re-operate the route concerned, leaving only one company with a multipurpose transport ship as an option to move cargo to Europe.
From January 1st, 2020, the concentration of Sulphur in the fuel consumed by maritime transport vessels must not exceed 0.5%, a limit that until now was at 3.5%.
The international modifications related to the supply of fuel oil or marine fuel, which were approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), will apply to all vessels sailing in the world.
The company Oceánica Internacional has started operating a new maritime cargo service that will connect the port of Hong Kong with El Salvador without the need for transshipments.
The goal of the new route is to expand the options for transporting maritime cargo between the region and Asia, benefiting in particular Central American companies that import goods from China.
A new service connects the Guatemalan port with the east coast of the United States, Europe and the Mediterranean, through the port of Caucedo, in the Dominican Republic.
From a statement issued by Agexport:
Derived from the need of the Guatemalan export sector to transport goods in a reduced time of four days, in a more efficient manner, to the Caribbean market, the country's logistics chain has a new service that connects to the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla in the Atlantic with the East Coast of the United States, Europe and the Mediterranean through the port of Caucedo, in the Dominican Republic.
From July 25 to 28 representatives from the port industry in the region will be meeting in Belize at the XXXIX Port Meeting of the Central American Isthmus.
At the event, to be held at the Best Westerm Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize, the main discussion panels will address current issues such as the Cruise Industry, Mobility and Logistics Policy in Central America, Strengthening Environmental Port Management in Central America, Multilateral Agreement And Safety, Port Security and Protection, Gross Verified Mass (GVM), Climate Change and the Role of Women in the Port Industry, among others.
With the entry into operation of the new locks, the Panama Canal is beginning to regain market lost in recent years to the Suez Canal.
60% of vessels transporting cargo between Asia and the United States now passes through the new locks, up from 40% earlier this year. Until the opening of the expanded canal, this market share of maritime cargo went through the Suez Canal.
The shipping company has drawn attention to the impact that the Canal expansion will have on its operations noting that there are still only a few ports that can receive Post Panamax vessels.
The two routes that the Danish shipping company Maersk Line ceased to operate in 2013 were of great importance for Latin America, whose operations account for 10% of the company's total sales worldwide.
The arrival of the first ships with capacity of 13 TEUs at the Panamanian port of Balboa is evidence of how shipping services are changing, a prelude to the opening of the expanded Canal.
Trips taken by cargo bound for East Asia with two major shipping companies in the world, Maersk Line and MSC, will be shorter, thanks to the port at Balboa now being able to manage ships carrying over 13,000 TEUs's, a capacity which is close to the amount carried by ships which will pass through the expanded Canal.
New DHL trade routes include: from Qingdao, China to Santos, Brazil; from Le Havre, France to Veracruz, Mexico; from Miami, USA. to Colon, Panama; and from Hong Kong, China to Managua, Nicaragua.
From a press release published in Dhl.com.mx:
DHL Global Forwarding, the specialist in air and maritime transport which is part of Deutsche Post DHL, has announced the launch of four new direct routes for shipments of consolidated loads (LCL) to countries throughout Latin America. The new trade routes include: from Qingdao, China to Santos, Brazil; from Le Havre, France to Veracruz, Mexico; from Miami, USA. to Colon, Panama; and from Hong Kong, China to Managua, Nicaragua. With the opening of these new routes for LCL in the months of May and June, DHL customers have benefited from shorter transit, better rates and lowering of their carbon footprint.
The continuing evolution of maritime transport towards ever larger ships is the main reason that Maersk shipping line sees the mega project as a real option for the future.
Commercial validation of the Grand Canal of Nicaragua project has been underpinned by the opinions expressed by the Head of Daily Operations at Maersk Line, Keith Svendsen, who told Shippingwatch.com that while the Panama Canal expansion will allow the passage of much larger vessels than at present, the maximum length that will be admited is 336 meters, while the Triple-E series used by the leading global shipping company, now measures 400 meters.
Starting from May 15, rates will be raised on goods transported to the Far East, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the East Coast of South America.
Beginning May 15, the Danish shipping company Maersk Line said its rates for the Far East (excluding Japan), the Middle East and the Sub Indian continent will see an overall increase of $500 per 20-foot container and $1,000 per container measuring 40 feet, 40 feet HC, and 45 feet of dry cargo.