Suez Canal/Red Sea Avoidance

Shipping lines have communicated additional changes to routings to and from Europe for both direct and tranship services to address the avoidance of routing via the Red Sea/Suez Canal due to the conflict in this region. Unfortunately, these changes will increase transit times for a number of services and cause additional costs that must be passed on.

It has been confirmed that carriers will implement a "Transit Disruption Surcharge" or a similarly named fee. These new charges will be itemised separately and will apply to affected customers. The charges will vary by service and shipping line.

These charges are being implemented with the earliest carrier from the 21st of December 2023.

Please also note that we are yet to receive confirmed details from several shipping lines. Once these are confirmed we will communicate on a case-by-case basis.

We will keep you informed of any changes as they become available and as carriers release confirmed information. Our team will provide more clarity on each order or booking placed.

In addition to increased costs and delays on services via the Red Sea / Suez Canal, carriers have confirmed that space limitations will occur due to high demand or slower rotation of vessels, including alternate services via the Panama Canal. This is expected to become critical in the first quarter of 2024. We encourage our customers to plan in advance and consider extending forward order plans beyond Q1.

Our global teams are actively engaging with carriers to source and provide alternative options. These may include alternative routings, increased Less than Container Load (LCL), and air services. Our network throughout Europe is also available to support the movement of cargo to different cities, offering access to alternative service ports.

At this time, it is uncertain how these challenges will affect demand to and from other global regions. However, we are confident that there will be a flow on effect to other regions.

We appreciate your understanding and support, if you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact your GVI Team.