Why your cargo has not yet arrived at the port or the main reasons for the delay of vessels?

 Your vessel or cargo is delayed at the transhipment port

Transhipment can happen when cargo is sent to an intermediate terminal before arriving at the final port of destination. Once a vessel arrives at a transhipment port, containers and/or goods are unloaded from the original ship and loaded onto another ship. Import and Export Agent in Delhi brings to our light the causes of delays that occur if one of the ships is late for the terminal, or terminal services are ineffective and are engaged in unloading/loading longer than planned.

This can be a common occurrence when dealing with carriers and is usually caused by delays at the point of departure, which in turn causes delays at the transhipment hub and ultimately results in a shipment not being made to a subsequent vessel. Shipment may be delayed at the point of departure for a number of reasons, including weather conditions, lack of proper documentation, or non-compliance with certain requirements, such as the requirement to verify the weight of a SOLAS container.

Your shipment has been rolled

Rolled shipments occur when carriers move or “rollback” shipments to a later date. This can happen when both the carrier’s capacity decreases and consumer demand rises, causing a sharp rise in the spot market, which, in turn, allows carriers to charge higher tariffs. Another reason for this delay is incorrectly prepared documents. Rechecking and/or reissuing documents can take a long time, so your cargo can be rolled.

Your vessel had a large number of stops at ports between the starting point and the destination.

Rolled shipments occur when carriers move or “rollback” shipments to a later date. This can happen when both the carrier’s capacity decreases and consumer demand rises, causing a sharp rise in the spot market, which, in turn, allows carriers to charge higher tariffs. Another reason for this delay is incorrectly prepared documents. Rechecking and/or reissuing documents can take a long time, so your cargo can be rolled.

 The vessel with your cargo needs service

Service frequency can also affect your overall delivery time. Lower capacities allow for more frequent service and help meet shippers’ need for faster delivery times. Larger units allow operators to benefit from economies of scale depending on the size of the vessel.

Your vessel is being shared with someone else

Vessel Sharing Agreement (VSA) occurs when two or more carriers (belonging to the same shipping consortium) jointly offer liner services on a specified route using a specified number of ships. VSA enables stakeholders to achieve significant reductions in fuel consumption and improve customer service by providing more options and increased throughput.

However, this can sometimes cause delays. Two different carriers may use the same vessel, but they do not always use the same route. Although the ship is the same, carriers may use different routes, which can lead to delays in delivery. If you do not know that the carrier of your choice is a party to the VSA, you can unknowingly postpone the shipment.

 

Something has happened to your vessel or cargo beyond the control of the shipping company

Some delays are completely beyond your control, your carrier or freight forwarder, and simply cannot be prevented. These can be forces of nature, mechanical problems, human error, or political problems:

·         Weather

·         Collisions

·         Vessel malfunctions

·         Congestion

·         War

·         Terrorist attacks

·         Fire

·         Natural disasters

·         Large scale events (e.g. holidays)

Ports are not properly prepared for the size of your ship

Larger vessels have allowed carriers to increase the number of containers and cargo they can carry, thereby reducing costs. However, some ports are not well equipped to accommodate these larger vessels. Due to the increase in the number of containers, larger ships will need more container cranes per ship. These ships will also require more shipyard equipment and a larger stacking area. Not all ports are equipped to receive such large vessels.

There are labour problems in the port where your vessel or cargo is located

Sometimes there are too many containers in the port, causing congestion. This could be due to limited resources or other factors such as strikes or staff problems. For example, negotiations for a 2014-2015 contract between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Shore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) led to strikes that delayed shipments by several weeks.

These issues are difficult to deal with, but an experienced freight forwarder can help you find solutions. This is where the experience and knowledge of a partner company can significantly add value to your shipping operations and your business.

Military action

Armed conflicts, which some consider as a very unlikely event, still cause serious problems from time to time - just recall the situation in Syria. The first actions of such events can block the channel or close the port, which already has your cargo or through which it follows. War risk insurance is probably the only effective solution to this type of matter; Or try not to ship on a route where there is a heightened conflict risk zone.

Taking part in rescue operations

The International Maritime Convention SOLAS (Safety Of Life at Sea) provides the universal practice of giving assistance at sea in case of distress. The vessel, which was as close as possible to the scene of the incident, is obliged to come to the rescue and the members of her crew must take due care of the wreck of another ship or of the people in danger. The Convention is now signed by each shipowner as complying with international shipping standards. And although it is worth rejoicing that in a civilized society there are the right things that are aimed at saving and helping others in distress, the response to SOS will certainly lead to the delay of your cargo.

Vessel stability problems

This term should not be confused with sustainability. Due to the cargo centre of gravity shifting on the ship, engineering errors in the preparation of the cargo plane, the voyage parameters can deviate significantly from the norm, which at best will lead to changes in the seaworthiness of the ship and its speed. In the case of a critical violation of the stability, the ship will need to go to the nearest port for re-shifting. In the worst cases, history knows the tragic deaths of a ship with cargo.