DUTCH industry analyst Dynamar says 124 carriers are acting as feeder container operators, having a 43 million TEU capacity that does not appear in trade statistics, yet are counted twice in port statistics.
Dynamar says 20 dominant transshipment ports handle 24 million TEU of these 'invisible' containers, in the 2018 edition of: Transshipment and Feedering 2018 - Trades and Operators - Ships and Hubs, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
'Feedering is the first or last maritime leg of an ocean borne container transport where the ports of loading or discharge of the mainline containership are not the same as the ultimate origin or destination port of the container,' said the Dynamar statement.
Feedering is a short haul trade between a deepsea hub and regional ports that do not have sufficient cargo to warrant a direct call from a mainline service, or are lacking the infrastructure to handle larger vessels, said the report.
As the regional part of the global container transport system, feedering is an integrated part of the door-to-door transport chain.
'Why is feedering an invisible trade? It is 'commercial' full containers that are being counted to assess the world container trade, which reached around 168 million TEU in 2017.
'Commercial full containers are shipped on a bill of lading issued by the shipping company to the shipper. This bill of lading covers the carriage of the boxes from their first port of loading until the ultimate port of destination.
In contrast, a feeder move constitutes an operational port-to-port activity, arranged by the mainline carrier using the services of a feeder company. Feeder containers usually travel on a 'service bill of lading' issued by the feeder operator to his principal, the mainline carrier, said Dynamar.
'In the case of feedering, the container, full or empty, is the cargo. Relevant statistics do not exist, but the total number of feedered containers could be estimated at 65 million TEU worldwide,' said Dynamar.
Feeder boxes count double in port-handled container statistics, as both the move from the mainline vessel and the handling into the feeder are counted.
Dynamar has identified 124 shipping companies worldwide, offering feeder services. 13 dedicated carriers deploy the largest ships serving as a feeder. Another four, CMA CGM, Maersk Line, PIL and Zim, operate their feedering business under separate brands also active as common carriers.
Most, if not nearly all, companies carrying feeder containers are also taking regional cargo. It is believed that only X-Press Feeders, present in all trades, is the only pure feeder operator. It is also the world's third largest feeder operator.
Dynamar says 20 dominant transshipment ports handle 24 million TEU of these 'invisible' containers, in the 2018 edition of: Transshipment and Feedering 2018 - Trades and Operators - Ships and Hubs, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
'Feedering is the first or last maritime leg of an ocean borne container transport where the ports of loading or discharge of the mainline containership are not the same as the ultimate origin or destination port of the container,' said the Dynamar statement.
Feedering is a short haul trade between a deepsea hub and regional ports that do not have sufficient cargo to warrant a direct call from a mainline service, or are lacking the infrastructure to handle larger vessels, said the report.
As the regional part of the global container transport system, feedering is an integrated part of the door-to-door transport chain.
'Why is feedering an invisible trade? It is 'commercial' full containers that are being counted to assess the world container trade, which reached around 168 million TEU in 2017.
'Commercial full containers are shipped on a bill of lading issued by the shipping company to the shipper. This bill of lading covers the carriage of the boxes from their first port of loading until the ultimate port of destination.
In contrast, a feeder move constitutes an operational port-to-port activity, arranged by the mainline carrier using the services of a feeder company. Feeder containers usually travel on a 'service bill of lading' issued by the feeder operator to his principal, the mainline carrier, said Dynamar.
'In the case of feedering, the container, full or empty, is the cargo. Relevant statistics do not exist, but the total number of feedered containers could be estimated at 65 million TEU worldwide,' said Dynamar.
Feeder boxes count double in port-handled container statistics, as both the move from the mainline vessel and the handling into the feeder are counted.
Dynamar has identified 124 shipping companies worldwide, offering feeder services. 13 dedicated carriers deploy the largest ships serving as a feeder. Another four, CMA CGM, Maersk Line, PIL and Zim, operate their feedering business under separate brands also active as common carriers.
Most, if not nearly all, companies carrying feeder containers are also taking regional cargo. It is believed that only X-Press Feeders, present in all trades, is the only pure feeder operator. It is also the world's third largest feeder operator.