Ocean carriers are deploying extra-loaders on Indian westbound trades to meet rising demand and booking rates, according to the Journal of Commerce.
Ocean carriers on Indian westbound trades to the US East Coast and North Europe are deploying extra-loaders to capture surging demand and rising booking rates, reports New York's Journal of Commerce.
CMA CGM is moving faster than its rivals, scheduling an additional India-Europe 'Epic' service sailing this week and preparing an ad-hoc India-USEC 'Indamex' voyage in August, according to freight forwarder sources. The 5,090-TEU CMA CGM Dolphin, due in Nhava Sheva on July 17, is the first Epic extra-loader, according to sources.
More extra-loader operations depend on vessel availability, one source noted. CMA CGM is also expected to benefit from the Indamex service returning to a regular Red Sea/Suez Canal routing next month, which should ease structural gaps and boost shipments to North America.
Cargo rollovers have climbed sharply, with 2,000 to 3,000 TEU per sailing left behind at Nhava Sheva and Mundra in recent weeks, industry sources reported. 'Capacity cuts and rising demand have pushed freight rates up significantly, but shippers still cannot secure all the space they need,' said Sanjay Tejwani, CEO of 365 Logistics.
Carrier sources indicated that Indian exports to the USEC have been lifted by reallocations from the Middle East. Recent Indamex and Hapag-Lloyd TPI sailings from Nhava Sheva and Mundra have carried up to 6,000 TEU per call, an increase of 1,000 to 1,500 TEU a week. Maersk has also boosted capacity on its MECL service with larger vessels phased in through 2026, although the carrier declined to comment.
