Carriers ramp up blank sailings as China lockdowns persist

Ocean carrier alliances are preparing to blank more than a third of their sailings from Asia over the coming weeks in response to a reduction in export freight. The blanking strategies by the alliances to mitigate the impact of the Covid lockdowns in China will further extend cargo lead times, particularly to North Europe.

While carriers have succeeded in discharging their empty equipment at Shanghai in readiness for the surge of cargo that will follow the ending of the strictly enforced Covid lockdowns, exports have reduced drastically as a result of a shortage of truckers available to haul containers.