A sea container (also known as a container, freight container, intermodal container, ISO container, hi-cube container, box, conex case, and sea tank) is a steel container that can be moved repeatedly within a product for safe and efficient movement Use an intermodal freight system.
Container shipping comes in many different sizes and options, including specialty options such as hanging garment containers, half-height containers, bulk shift containers and tanks. While these all have their uses, they are very niche.
Container leasing
The container leasing market has been fast-growing over the years. Today, around 55 % of the global container fleet is owned by leasing companies. Making container leasing a force to be reckoned with.
Are you considering leasing containers instead of buying? In that case, keep reading. We’ll tell you all you need to know about the different types of container leasing. As well as weigh the pros and cons of buying containers vs leasing them.
Container terminal
In container transportation, the specific handling department for the exchange and storage of boxes or cargoes. It authorizes the carrier or its agent to carry out the following business:
(1) Exchange and storage of FCL shipments.
(2) Those who have a container freight station shall handle the handover of LCL goods.
(3) Arranging the berthing of container ships, loading and unloading containers, and preparing stowage plans for each voyage.
(4) Handle the compilation and signature of relevant shipping documents.
(5) Prepare and sign the relevant documents for the entry, exit and circulation of the container using the means of transport.
(6) Handle the inspection and maintenance of containers, vehicles, loading and unloading tools, as well as cleaning and fumigation of empty containers.
(7) Send and receive, store and keep empty boxes.
(8) Arrange the stacking of empty boxes and heavy boxes in the yard, and prepare a site allocation plan.
(9) Other related business work. Container loading and unloading areas are generally composed of dedicated docks, frontiers, yards, freight stations, command towers, repair departments, gates and offices. Sometimes the storage yard or freight station can be extended to the transfer station of 5~15 kilometers in the urban area.
Container front yard (marshalling yard)
In front of the container terminal, in order to speed up the loading and unloading of ships, the container is temporarily stacked. Its function is: before the container ship arrives at the port, the export containers are neatly stacked in a planned and orderly manner according to the stowage requirements, and the imported containers are temporarily stacked in front of the wharf during unloading to speed up the loading and unloading operations of the ship.
Container yard
A place where heavy or empty containers are handed over, kept and stacked. In some countries, container yards are not divided into front yards or rear yards, which are collectively referred to as yards. The container rear yard is an integral part of the container handling area. It is the place where the FCL of the container transportation "on-site" handover method is handed over (actually, the handover is carried out at the "gateway" of the container unloading area).
Empty container yard (van pool)
A site dedicated to the collection, storage, storage or handover of empty containers. It is specially set up when the container handling area or the transfer station yard is insufficient. This kind of yard does not handle heavy box or cargo handover. It can be operated independently, or it can be set up outside the area by the container handling area. Some capitalist countries, operating such empty container yards, must declare to the shipping association.
Container freight station
The place where the ship and cargo parties handle the handover for the packing and unpacking of the LCL cargo. The carrier can only entrust the operator of one container freight station in a port or inland city. It handles the following main business on behalf of the carrier:
(1) Tally and handover of LCL cargo.
(2) If there is any abnormality in the inspection of the appearance of the goods, an annotation shall be processed.
(3) The stowage and packing of the LCL cargo.
(4) Unpacking and storage of imported unpacked goods.
(5) Seal and issue a station receipt on behalf of the carrier.
(6) Handle various documents and preparations.
The maximum compensation amount that the carrier should bear in the event of cargo damage during container transportation. Limitation of liability for LCL shipments is the same as for conventional shipments. Compensation for FCL is based on some current international precedents. If the number of pieces of goods in the box is not listed on the bill of lading, each box is used as a claim calculation unit. If the number of pieces in the box is listed on the bill of lading, it is still calculated according to the number of pieces. If the damage and loss of the goods are not carried out by sea, but occurred during inland transportation, the maximum compensation amount for land transportation shall be handled. If the container is owned or provided by the shipper, in the event of loss or damage, the responsibility for the loss or damage is indeed the responsibility of the carrier, and it should also be regarded as a claim calculation unit.
Are you looking for a specific period container? Do you have items or items that you want to store in containers to protect them from damage? Do you want the flexibility to rent containers at different points in time? If the answer is yes, then renting a container is ideal for you. Container leasing gives you flexibility in how you use your containers and how you plan your budget. Buying one, on the other hand, increases your liability and costs.
Here are the different types of container rentals that we will be covering in this blog:
1.Master lease
They are also commonly referred to as short to medium term leases. They fall into the full-service rental category with no cap on the minimum or maximum number of containers. The lease term is variable and the lessor is responsible for the maintenance, repair and relocation of the container. The agreement also involves an accounting system that includes debits and credits between the parties based on the condition of the containers at the time of their return. The lessor must undertake the allocation of the containers to meet the needs of the lessee. Therefore, it is important to ensure a stable supply of empty containers at the pick-up point. The master lease agreement sets out the main conditions such as the rental cost per day, the types of containers that can be disposed of, the number of containers to be used in each warehouse, the collection and delivery centers, payment terms, etc. The lessee has no obligation to use the container before picking up the container from the yard, and the contract takes effect when the lessee picks up the container from the yard. A separate individual contract is signed for each container collected under the Master Lease Agreement.
2.Long-term lease
Far less flexible than a master lease, long-term leases are a favorite of many rental companies. The duration of the contract is fixed. As well as a certain number of containers and delivery schedule. This leaves the leasing company with nothing to do once the container is signed for.
The lessee bears the cost of repairs, maintenance and relocation. Although definitions of terms vary, most leasing companies define long-term leases as 5 to 8 years. For long-term leases, the containers are usually brand new. This is why many long-term rental agreements come with negotiable terms. The clause allows rental rates to be negotiated after a few years based on depreciation and market fluctuations.
3.One way rental
They are also known as one-way rental agreements, and containers can be picked up at one location and dropped off at another. Both parties benefit from such one-way leasing arrangements due to operational rationalization and cost reduction. It is suitable for different regional requirements of customers and has the added benefit of saving on relocation costs.
4.Short-term rental
Also known as spot market leases, they are subject to market conditions dictated by supply and demand dynamics. Such leasing arrangements typically occur during temporary demand surges, which may be cyclical or sudden. Because of this market volatility, leasing companies prefer not to keep large inventories of such containers to meet short-term rental demand, to avoid the possibility of them being underutilized for an extended period of time. But careful planning and forecasting can handle unforeseen surges in demand. Maintenance, repair and relocation tasks are undertaken by the lessee. Aside from the higher cost, the one setback here is that you have to adhere to the minimum time to use the container. Usually leasing companies do not want to rent out containers for less than 6 months.
Transaction speed is another important issue for businesses to consider. Rental companies are also on the platform. Given the unbalanced nature of the world economy and trade, the number of containers is unbalanced.
On March 25, the "Action Plan of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Thai Customs Administration on the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of "Accredited Operators" was signed online. The first AEO Mutual Recognition Arrangement Action Plan signed by member countries' customs.
Sun Yuning, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs of China, and Jizhana Xinushan, deputy director of the Thai Customs Department, signed on behalf of both parties. Sun Yuning said that the signing of the AEO Mutual Recognition Action Plan between the customs of China and Thailand is another pragmatic achievement of the customs cooperation between the two countries, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the AEO cooperation between the two sides.
China and Thailand have had close economic and trade cooperation for a long time. China has been Thailand's largest trading partner for many years, and Thailand's largest export market for agricultural products; Thailand is China's third largest trading partner among ASEAN countries. In 2021, the total bilateral trade volume between China and Thailand exceeded the US$100 billion mark for the first time, reaching US$131.18 billion, a year-on-year increase of 33%. During the same period, there were 83,000 Chinese enterprises engaged in bilateral trade between China and Thailand, of which there were more than 2,300 high-level certified Chinese enterprises engaged in import and export business with Thailand, with an import and export volume of about 143 billion yuan, accounting for about 143 billion yuan in imports and exports from China to Thailand. The total is nearly two percent.
According to the "Action Plan", China-Thailand Customs will speed up the negotiation on various issues of the AE0 mutual recognition arrangement, strive to realize China-Thailand AE0 mutual recognition as soon as possible, and effectively make the China-Thailand AEO mutual recognition cooperation a model of customs cooperation among RCEP member states.
China and Thailand have had close economic and trade cooperation for a long time. China has been Thailand's largest trading partner for many years, and Thailand's largest export market for agricultural products; Thailand is China's third largest trading partner among ASEAN countries. In 2021, the total bilateral trade volume between China and Thailand exceeded the US$100 billion mark for the first time, reaching US$131.18 billion, a year-on-year increase of 33%. During the same period, there were 83,000 Chinese enterprises engaged in bilateral trade between China and Thailand, of which there were more than 2,300 high-level certified Chinese enterprises engaged in import and export business with Thailand, with an import and export volume of about 143 billion yuan, accounting for about 143 billion yuan in imports and exports from China to Thailand. The total is nearly two percent.
According to the "Action Plan", China-Thailand Customs will speed up the negotiation on various issues of the AE0 mutual recognition arrangement, strive to realize China-Thailand AE0 mutual recognition as soon as possible, and effectively make the China-Thailand AEO mutual recognition cooperation a model of customs cooperation among RCEP member states.
AEO is the abbreviation of Authorized Economic Operator, that is, "authenticated operator". It is advocated by the World Customs Organization. The customs will certify enterprises with high credit status, law-abiding and level, and provide preferential customs clearance facilities to certified enterprises. of a system.
Since the implementation of the AEO system in 2008, China Customs has been vigorously promoting the international mutual recognition of AEO, focusing on improving the level of domestic and overseas customs clearance facilitation of Chinese enterprises, reducing the customs clearance cost of enterprises, and enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises in the international market. Up to now, China Customs has signed AEO mutual recognition agreements with 22 economies such as the European Union and Singapore, covering 48 countries (regions), and the number of countries (regions) in mutual recognition ranks first in the world. Among them, there are 32 countries jointly building the "Belt and Road", 5 RCEP member countries and 13 Central and Eastern European countries.
The U.S. government announced it would restore tariff exemptions for 352 Chinese products that were first hit with punitive tariffs in 2018 when then-President Donald Trump launched a trade war with Beijing.
"Today's decision was made after careful consideration of public comments and consultation with other U.S. agencies," the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement Wednesday.
In a statement, the Office of the US Trade Representative said the exceptions were retroactive to October 12 last year and extended through the end of 2022.
The exemption expires at the end of 2020, but President Joe Biden's administration began seeking comments last October on which of the 549 eligible Chinese products should again be excluded from the tariffs.
The list released by the USTR includes industrial parts such as pumps and electric motors, certain auto parts and chemicals, backpacks, bicycles, vacuum cleaners and other consumer products. Those goods account for about two-thirds of the tariff-exempt goods that expire at the end of 2020. Goods exempted from duties include certain types of consumer goods such as electronic components, bicycle parts, motors, machinery, chemicals, seafood and backpacks.
A spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that the U.S. decision is conducive to the normalization of trade in these products and hopes that bilateral trade relations can return to a normal track.
"Amid soaring inflation and challenges to the global economic recovery, we hope that the U.S. will remove all tariffs on Chinese products as soon as possible to safeguard the fundamental interests of Chinese and U.S. consumers and producers," spokesman Shu Jueting told reporters. .
The Trump administration initially approved more than 2,200 tariff exemptions to ease the burden on certain industries and retailers. Most were allowed to expire, but 549 were extended for a year and these expire at the end of 2020.
In October, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai began reviewing whether to reinstate the 549 waivers as part of her strategy to confront China over trade practices.
Since then, a series of virtual meetings with her Chinese counterparts have done little to improve China's performance under Trump's "phase one" trade deal with Beijing.
Cinnabar, borneol, turpentine, these commonly used Chinese herbal medicines included in the "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" (2020 edition), can you think that they are still dangerous chemicals? Let's take a look at their little-known "two sides" together.
Dangerous chemicals in common Chinese herbal medicines
1. Borneol
Borneol, also known as card brain, orange slice, borneol, is obtained by extracting the resin and volatile oil of Dipterocarpaceae plant borneol. It is a white crystalline powder or flake crystal. , spicy and cool. It can be used as medicine to open the orifices and refresh the mind, clear heat and relieve pain.
Borneol is a hazardous chemical listed in Item 1232 of China's "Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals" (2015 Edition), the product name is "2-Citol", the CAS number is: 507-70-0, and its hazardous categories include: flammable solids , specific target organ toxicity, etc.
At the same time, in the United Nations "Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods" (TDG), borneol is listed as Class 4.1 dangerous goods (flammable solids), the United Nations number (UN number) is 1312, and the recommended packing group is Class III .
2. Cinnabar
Cinnabar, also known as cinnabar, cinnabar, red dan, and mercury sand, is a natural ore of mercury sulfide, mainly containing mercury sulfide, as well as realgar, apatite, asphaltene and other substances. The appearance is granular or flake-like, bright red or dark red, and shiny. Weight, brittleness, flakes are easily broken, powdery ones have a shimmering luster, slight gas, and light taste. It can be used medicinally to clear the heart and calm convulsions, soothe the nerves and improve the eyesight.
In the "Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals" (2015 edition), cinnabar is listed as item 1286, the chemical name is "mercury sulfide", the CAS number is: 1344-48-5, and the hazard categories include: acute toxicity, specific target Organ toxicity, harm to aquatic environment, etc.
At the same time, in the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods - Model Regulations (TDG), cinnabar is listed as Category 6.1 dangerous goods (toxic substances), the UN number is 2025, and the recommended packaging category is Category II.
3. Turpentine
Turpentine oil is an oleoresin exuded from several plants of the Pinaceae genus, and the volatile oil extracted by distillation or other methods, the main component is terpenes. It is a colorless to slightly yellow clear liquid, with a specific odor, long-term storage or exposure to the air, the odor will gradually increase, and the color will gradually turn yellow. It can relieve muscle pain, treat joint pain and neuralgia, and apply it to the affected area when sprained. It can also promote blood circulation and reduce swelling.
In the "Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals" (2015 edition), turpentine is listed as item 2098, CAS number is: 8006-64-2, and the hazard categories include: flammable liquid, skin corrosion, serious eye damage, skin cancer, Inhalation hazard, hazard to aquatic environment, etc.
In the United Nations "Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations" (TDG), turpentine is listed as Class 3 dangerous goods (flammable liquids), the United Nations number is 1299, and the recommended packing group is Class III.
It can be seen from this that borneol, cinnabar, turpentine, etc., in addition to the attributes of Chinese herbal medicines, also belong to the hazardous chemicals listed in the "Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals". Then, when the above-mentioned Chinese herbal medicines are exported as commodities, what customs supervision requirements need to be met? Woolen cloth?
Customs supervision requirements
Regulatory Requirements for Exporting Hazardous Chemicals
The "Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals" stipulates that hazardous chemical production enterprises shall provide chemical safety technical instructions consistent with the hazardous chemicals they produce, and affix the corresponding chemical safety labels on the packaging. The packaging of hazardous chemicals shall comply with the requirements of laws, administrative regulations and rules and the requirements of standards, and the type, specification, method and single quality of the packaging shall be compatible with the nature and use of the hazardous chemicals contained.
According to the "Announcement on Issues Concerning the Inspection and Supervision of Imported and Exported Hazardous Chemicals and Their Packaging" (Announcement No. 129 [2020] of the General Administration of Customs), the customs shall Inspection of the product and its packaging.
Then the cinnabar, borneol, turpentine, etc. listed in the catalogue of hazardous chemicals, no matter whether the customs supervision condition corresponding to the HS code is "B", and whether the inspection and quarantine category is "N", it is necessary to declare the origin of hazardous chemicals before exporting. And export dangerous goods packaging use appraisal, inspection and appraisal pass the electronic account book and packaging use appraisal result sheet before export.
Due to various reasons of the ship, cargo, port and other aspects, the ship party increases expenses or suffers economic losses when transporting goods. In order to compensate for these expenses or losses, the ship party stipulates additional charges in addition to the basic rate. Call Surcharge or Additional.
There are many types of surcharges, and as some circumstances change, new surcharges may be removed or established. This article is to sort out the more commonly used shipping surcharges at present, hoping to help you better understand the shipping surcharges (so as not to be pitted).
emergency fuel surcharge
The last bunker-related line in this list of ocean surcharges is the emergency bunker surcharge. This fee is imposed by the carrier when fuel prices rise sharply. Because it makes it more expensive to run ships and move containers around the world.
This is another surcharge that you can't stop.
Comprehensive rate increase surcharge GRI
The full name of GRI is General Rate Increase. It is generally used on South American routes and American routes. Due to various reasons such as ports, ships, fuel oil, cargo or other aspects, the shipping company's transportation costs have increased significantly. In order to compensate for these increased expenses, the shipowners add a comprehensive rate increase surcharge.
Peak Season Surcharge PSS
The full name of PSS is Peak Season Surcharge. This fee is generally charged by many shipping companies for excuses when the freight is busy in the peak season, which is somewhat similar to the price increase in my country's "Spring Festival". April to November each year is generally the peak season for world freight.
Terminal handling fee THC
The full name of THC is Terminal Handling Charge. It can be further divided into OTHC-Origin Terminal Handling Charge, which is the terminal operation fee at the port of departure and DTHC-Destination Terminal Handling Charge, which is the terminal operation fee at the destination port.
Out of spec
If the cargo is oversized, it means that the cargo cannot fit into the hexagonal container due to its size. In this case, you'll have to pay an oversize fee because the cargo will take up more space, require extra material to secure, and mean less space to stack the containers.
Origin Receipt Charge ORC
The full name is Original Receiving Charge local receiving fee/origin receiving fee/origin receiving fee. This fee is more complicated, and it is both different and related to the terminal operating fee THC. ORC is only available in southern China, mainly in Guangdong ports, while THC is available in all ports (including those in Guangdong). There is only one charge for ORC and THC - if you charge ORC, you don't charge for THC. If you receive THC, you will not receive ORC again.
ORC is specially designed for shipping from various ports in southern China, and the destination ports are these ocean routes such as North America, Central and South America, Europe and North Africa. Ports in southern China to other destination ports, such as Southeast Asia, are the same as ports in other regions, and only collect THC.
Overload surcharge
There is no way to bypass the heavy load surcharge if you are shipping unusually heavy shipments. This is a charge because heavy cargo is more difficult to load and unload than light cargo. However, these types of cargo also require specialized equipment such as cranes. A surcharge helps make up for this.
Port Congestion Surcharge PCS
The full name is Port Congestion Surcharge. When the port is crowded or particularly busy, the waiting time and schedule of the ship will be extended, and the port berthing fees such as tugboat fees may also increase, which will cause a substantial increase in transportation costs. In order to make up for this cost loss, the shipping company will charge the shipper. Port congestion surcharge.
Container Imbalance Surcharge CIC
The full name of CIC is Container Imbalance Charge, sometimes called Container Imbalance Surcharge. This fee is a surcharge imposed by the shipping company in order to make up for the cost of shipping empty containers due to the imbalance of trade volume or seasonal changes resulting in the imbalance of cargo flow and containers.
Freight rates for very large crude oil tankers (VLCCs) on major routes have been unusually weak, again recording their worst trading ever, with owners willing to accept only four-digit daily rates.
Under such circumstances, according to data from the Baltic Exchange (Baltic Exchange), the VLCC equivalent time charter equivalent rates (TCE) assessed by the agency continued to fall by $800 this Friday to -28354 USD/day! Obviously, this figure is lower than the record low of 27,893/day set on March 10.
Shipping brokerage firm Howe Robinson said in this week's market report that the Middle East VLCC route has directly "kneeled", and we have seen a large number of charters hitting new lows.
In addition, the fall in rent levels contrasted sharply with the rise in fuel prices. The rise in fuel oil prices has kept shipowners' earnings in a negative range.
According to Tankers International data, 7 VLCCs were booked on Thursday, and one of the 299,999dwt Ascona was the highest lease level, but the TCE was only US$8,342 per day. The charterer was Unipec UNIPEC, from West Africa to China. , the expected loading date is mid-April.
The lowest was - $5738/day for the 320,475 dwt Maran Canopus (built 2007) owned by Maran Tankers, scheduled to be loaded for Vietnam's NSRP in the Middle East Gulf in early April. The round is about to be docked for the third time this year and should be repaired.
However, figures from Tankers International show that all of those leases are ultimately expected to face losses.
Ascona was the only one successfully leased on the same day for the West Africa route. The other two 303,120-dwt Front Empire and 318,440-dwt Astro Chloe were not concluded.
"A charter that doesn't close will also end up causing more trouble for owners," Howe Robinson said. "However, as more and more owners refuse to execute long voyages at such low prices, we are seeing Owners are trying to get higher prices.”
Overall, the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index, the BDTI index rose 19 points to 1112 at the end of the week. The rise was mainly due to the TCE of Aframax vessels rising by $1,934 to $28,672/day, although suezmax vessels also fell by $1,530/day to $34,401/day.
The rise of aframax was mainly due to the increase of $16,710 on the TD17 Baltic-UK/Continental route, which closed at $133,657/day this week. This route, as well as the TD6 Black Sea to Mediterranean suezmax route, continues to rise, mainly because both routes involve Russian deals.
For most of 2020, the Port of Los Angeles has been struggling to deal with the problem of container surplus. Now that there has been a dramatic turning point, the Port of Los Angeles has also experienced a shortage of containers.
According to the latest statistics from Container xChange, a professional organization in the container monitoring field, the Container Availability Index for 40-foot containers in the Port of Los Angeles has dropped to 0.29.
Container xChange’s marketing director explained: “In the 49th week of 2020, the port’s availability index value for 20-foot containers and 40-foot containers plummeted to 0.27. Compared with the average index from week 1 to week 8 of 2020, these two Both containers dropped by 57%."
It is understood that when the container availability index is 0.5, it represents market balance. If it is less than 0.5, it represents a shortage of containers.
This means that the Port of Los Angeles has a serious shortage of containers.
In the previous Port of Los Angeles, due to the large increase in import volume and the epidemic factor, the port was congested on a large scale, and the efficiency of container turnover was very slow. At the peak, 10,000-15,000 containers were stranded at the terminal, and normal operations were severely affected.
According to a research report jointly issued by Container xChange and FraunhoferCML, a maritime logistics research organization, in the third quarter of 2020, there will be approximately 1.5 million containers in the United States with a turnover time of more than 115 days, while the normal average time should be less than 80 days.
Previously, due to the large backlog of containers in the Port of Los Angeles affecting the supply chain, liner companies conducted large-scale empty container deployment to ensure the normal operation of trans-Pacific routes.
As empty containers continue to be shipped back to the Asian market, the situation at the Port of Los Angeles has undergone a dramatic turn.
The industry also analyzes that the current shortage of containers in the Port of Los Angeles is related to the serious port congestion, the imbalance of market supply and demand, and the labor shortage caused by the outbreak of the Los Angeles Port.
Container xChange CEO Johannes Schlingmeier previously stated that since the summer of 2020, the U.S. container transportation supply chain has been under pressure, and the Port of Los Angeles is facing labor shortages caused by the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
Lars Jensen, CEO of Sea Intelligence, an industry consulting firm, believes: "The main reason for the lack of containers is port congestion."
Regarding when the container shortage will be resolved, Container xChange predicts: "In the next few weeks, as every link in the trans-Pacific route supply chain will face tremendous pressure, container supply will fluctuate further."
Nerijus Poskus, vice president of shipping at Flexport in the United States, believes that the shortage of containers may improve in the second half of 2021.
Lars Jensen said that the lack of containers in the Port of Los Angeles should be resolved before the summer of 2021.
He further explained: "After the international financial crisis in 2008, we also experienced a shortage of containers. The shortage of containers in 2010 took about 3 months from the appearance to the resolution. If we put it now Under the same background, it means that the current lack of containers in the Port of Los Angeles may also be resolved soon."
In addition to the three main orders of "equipment handover form", "station receipt" and "handover record", container transportation usually includes the following 10 types of documents.
(1) Booking form
The booking list is prepared by the shipping company or other carrier when accepting the shipper's (or shipper's) booking, according to the shipper’s verbal or written application, recording the cargo consignment, and used to arrange container cargo transportation. The main contents of the documents and booking list include: cargo name, number of packages, packaging style, mark, weight, size, port of destination, settlement period, transshipment period, whether it can be transported in batches, transshipment, etc.
(2) Booking list
The booking list is a list of the delivery and loading places of different goods drawn by the shipping company or its agent according to the contents of the booking form.
(3) Packing list
The packing list is the only document that details the name, quantity and stowage of the goods in each container. When the container is used as a unit for transportation, the container packing list is an extremely important document. It is the basis for cargo declaration, handover, etc. The weight of the cargo and the container recorded on the document is used to calculate the ship’s draught difference and stability. Basic data of sex. When cargo damage or cargo difference occurs, it is also one of the original basis for handling accident claims.
(4) Annotation list
When the container terminal yard or container freight station receives goods, if the goods are found to be abnormal, the content and extent of the abnormality should be recorded in the remarks column of the station receipt, and then a document is compiled based on these contents. This document is called the endorsement list.
(5) Shipping order
The bill of lading is a document signed and sealed by the carrier or its agent. It is not only a certificate for consignment of the goods, but also a certificate for notifying the ship to accept the shipment of the carried goods.
(6) Loading list
The loading list is the cargo consigned by the carrier or its agent according to this voyage. The goods of similar nature are classified according to the order of arrival at the port, and then a summary list of loading orders is made.
(7) Bill of lading
The bill of lading is a certificate issued to the shipper or shipper by the container transport operator or its agent after receiving or taking over the goods, proving that the transported goods have been received or loaded on the ship, and are to be transported by sea. The port delivers the goods to the legitimate bill of lading holder. It is also a kind of transportation contract between the transportation company and the owner, which reflects the right of the recorded direction of the goods. It is usually circulated by endorsement, which is a pledge. The main ancillary documents of the remittance bill are divided into the bill of lading and the bill of lading for receipt.
(8) Empty container handover order
The empty container handover form is a document filled out when the shipper uses the shipping company's container, and the shipping company instructs the container custodian to deliver the empty container to the holder of this document.
(9) Guarantee
In the process of container transportation, the carrier’s responsibility is calculated from the time of receiving the goods. Therefore, the goods and container damages that have occurred before the goods are received are recorded in detail on the station receipt, and this record is transferred to the bill of lading. In fact constitutes an unclean bill of lading.
(10) Cargo Consignment Form
A container cargo consignment note is a written certificate issued by the shipper (consignor or freight forwarder) to the carrier or its agent in accordance with the relevant clauses in the first contract and the letter of credit.
The shipping industry in 2020 can be said to be half winter and half summer.
Affected by the epidemic, China's exports declined in the first half of the year, and the shipping industry was cold and "overwintering" ahead of schedule. In the second half of the year, the neglected shipping industry directly entered the "midsummer." As the epidemic situation in China stabilizes and the economy recovers steadily, goods from all countries are transferred from Chinese ports. For a time, China's shipping industry is showing a busy scene.
“It’s too difficult to order containers now!” A reporter from the Securities Daily could see vehicles transporting containers coming and going at the Shanghai port. A foreign trade official who did not want to be named told the reporter: “At present, I want to order a container. The price can be said to be one price per day. Not only that, even if the container is booked, I still have to worry about the availability of the cabin."
"Shanghai SIPG, Ningbo, and Shenzhen are all major ports in the world. In 2018 and 2019, the container throughput of Shanghai Port was ranked first. Recently, the container shipping market is very hot, and many boxes cannot be returned after they go out." People from listed companies commented on the reporter of "Securities Daily".
In this regard, Liu Wang, chairman of Shanghai Tianhui International Logistics Co., Ltd., told reporters: “The price of container transportation has been rising. Because shipping companies have fewer ships, they often suspend voyages, and the lack of boxes is common, even if the price increases. It cannot fundamentally solve the problem of missing boxes."
• One price a day, "boxes" are crazy
"The most exaggerated time in the past 10 years." Speaking of the current shipping industry, Ms. Xie, who is engaged in the foreign trade industry, told a reporter from the Securities Daily. Ms. Xie is mainly responsible for the freight of Guangzhou Nansha Port and Shenzhen Port. She told reporters that taking a 40-foot container as an example, the highest sea freight to the Middle East at this time last year was about US$3,000. It costs almost US$5,000 now. Last year, it was US$2,800 to US$3,200 to Europe, and now it is US$6,000 to US$7,000. This year, the freight is almost twice the same period last year.
By the end of the year, the lack of positions became a true portrayal of the operation industry.
“Nowadays, there is a shortage of containers and high freight rates. The supply exceeds demand. During the epidemic, there was a large backlog of foreign containers that could not be arranged for delivery, and no one carried the goods. Almost all customers were looting containers. Under current market conditions, there are few freight forwarders. When looking for new customers, they are basically priority old customers.” Ms. Xie told reporters that the new year is approaching, and major suppliers are fully shipping. It is expected that the shortage of containers will continue.
"First of all you have to have a position, then you have to line up the truck to get the container, and finally you have to wait for the port to open before you can enter the port. Every day, you have to go through five hurdles, and you have to face customer soul torture. It's late, can't you figure it out?" A shipping forwarder complained about the tightness of the current export containers.
Liu Wang revealed to the "Securities Daily" reporter: "Many forwarders who have no boxes sometimes look for scalpers. Now forwarders are looting positions. The positions have to be booked in advance. Many people robbed and reselled them. In the past, they did not lose their shipping fees. Now that the shipping companies are recovering their losses, the shipping companies are about to usher in a wave of market conditions this year. After the merger and reorganization last year, it is estimated that all the money lost in the past will be made back this year."
Liu Wang said: “In the past Christmas and the Spring Festival, there will be a wave of liquidation market, this year is particularly fierce because of the epidemic. South American container boxes were the lowest in history at 50 US dollars a small container, and now basically it costs more than 5,000 US dollars, and a large box 10,000. U.S. dollars, if $5,000 this week is too expensive for you, you may not be able to order $6,000 next week, basically one price a week."
In fact, the current container price has been upgraded to a daily basis. A person in charge of an international logistics company said: “In Qingdao Port, the price of a second-hand 40-foot container in previous years was about US$2,000. On November 27 this year, the price rose to US$2,850; by November 30, the price of a second-hand container rose to US$3,200. ; On December 3, it rose to 3,400 US dollars again, almost one day."
According to data from the freight benchmark company Xeneta, the current average price of short-term market contracts in Asia and Europe for three months or less is 200% higher than a year ago, at $4,831 per 40 feet. But from the same period last year, freight rates across Southeast Asia have increased by an astonishing 390.5%.
The relevant person in charge of COSCO SHIPPING Holdings told reporters: “As the volume of goods continues to rise, the demand for export containers has greatly increased, and the domestic guarantee for container use has become tighter. However, the turnover of overseas empty containers has generally slowed due to the continuous impact of the epidemic situation in various places. Transfer back to China to meet demand."
"The whole industry is looking for boxes everywhere, and some merchants are beginning to hoard boxes to speculate on prices." In the eyes of industry insiders, the current situation of foreign trade companies being difficult to find a box is not only because of the slow operation of containers, but also because of the reduction of some routes. .
"There are few ship lines, and most of the cabinets shipped abroad can't return. This is the root cause of the skyrocketing price of the domestic container transportation market." Liu Wang explained to the reporter: "It's not that foreign cabinets are not coming back. It is the epidemic situation abroad. The impact is that the workers do not go to work and the speed of transportation is relatively slow. Now everyone is sharing the warehouse."
According to Liu Wang, the container ships now and the alliance has been formed since last year. Originally, it used its own ships to transport the goods. Now four or five shipowners or five or six companies form an alliance, and use the same ship. warehouse. "It turns out that there may be several shipping companies arranging several shifts to go to sea in a week. Once we formed an alliance, the shifts decreased in a week. This started last year. Now shipping companies often stop once a week, which objectively leads to a shortage of ships. ."
A person in charge of the Shanghai Maritime Logistics Company introduced to a reporter from the Securities Daily: "At present, the proportion of import and export trade by sea is imbalanced. There are few boxes coming in and many boxes going out . In addition, China has quickly prevented and controlled the epidemic, and overseas orders have continued to surge. , Increasing the pressure on shipping. Overseas, affected by the epidemic, the operation cycle of containers shipped out due to business environment problems has been lengthened, the arrival process has increased, and the operation efficiency has slowed and lengthened the circulation cycle. Due to the early outbreak of the epidemic, major shipping The company has reduced many routes, resulting in uneven distribution of global container volumes."
The industry believes that with the increase in market demand, the current effective capacity is obviously insufficient.
The relevant person in charge of COSCO Shipping Holdings revealed to the reporter: "As the global epidemic prevention and control has become normalized, global trade has been rapidly repaired since the third quarter of this year, and the demand in the container shipping market has recovered beyond expectations. In order to meet the growth of transportation demand, market capacity has gradually returned to normal. , The idle capacity has dropped rapidly from the record high of more than 2.7 million TEU (international standard unit units) in May this year. At present , there is no airworthy effective capacity to rent in the market. "
In the context of uneven global container deployment, container prices on different routes have also risen at different rates.
"Since November, the price of the U.S. line has increased by about four times compared with the beginning of the year, and the European line has risen to the highest price last year. From the perspective of the distribution of China’s export routes, the U.S. container accounts for 25%, Europe accounts for 25%, and Southeast Asia , Northeast Asia adds up to 50%, the US route is now hard to find a box is the norm, followed by the European route, freight is also very tight. The price of Malaysia route in Southeast Asia has also doubled recently." The person in charge of the aforementioned logistics company added.
Facing the increase in demand for containers, the above-mentioned relevant person in charge of COSCO SHIPPING Holdings stated: “The company will strengthen scientific forecasts for container use, actively coordinate dual-brand superior resources, and make every effort to guarantee the use of containers during peak seasons. On the one hand, internally tap the potential and accelerate overseas heavy container Demolition speed, increase empty container callback domestic and Far East efforts to promote container turnover; on the other hand, close communication with container manufacturers and container leasing companies to seek more container sources. Through two-pronged and multiple measures, to guarantee domestic container use Provide effective assistance and try our best to meet the shipping needs of customers."
In order to meet the development needs of the container market, SIPG has launched a number of effective measures to promote container volume growth in response to the market. At the beginning of this year, the Group launched seven special measures for container growth, through the implementation of preferential international transit loading and unloading fees, extension of the international transit container storage exemption period, and sea-rail intermodal customs clearance container preferential projects. In the first half of the year, the Group established three major container areas: Yangshan, Outer Harbor, and Domestic Trade, striving to achieve overall planning and agglomeration effects.
According to SIPG’s official announcement, in October, each terminal of Shanghai Port set a new record. The monthly throughput of Shengdong Company exceeded 820,000 TEUs for the first time. Among them, 33068 TEUs and 12899.75 TEUs were updated on October 25. Class record; Guandong Company broke through 720,000 TEU, setting a new record again.
• How long can the "shortage of containers" last? What is the future prospect of the shipping industry?
"The first half of the year was affected by the new crown epidemic. Ports and shipping fields did suffer a relatively large negative impact, so the first half of the year was basically a negative growth state. In the second half of the year, especially after the third quarter, normal operations resumed to a certain extent, plus China The epidemic has been controlled to a certain extent, and most of the economic activities have been resumed first. Therefore, compared with the first half of the year, there is indeed a big sign of a bottoming out." said Liu Dian, a research assistant at the Chongyang Institute of Finance of Renmin University of China.
In the first two months of this year, my country's foreign trade imports and exports dropped significantly. According to China Customs data, from January to February 2020, my country's total import and export value of goods trade was 4.12 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 9.6%. Among them, exports were 2.04 trillion yuan, down 15.9%; imports were 2.08 trillion yuan, down 2.4%.
Although the current domestic epidemic situation is under control, the global epidemic is breaking out, and exports are still under certain impact.
It can be said that in the first half of this year, people in the shipping industry were mainly pessimistic about my country's export prospects. In the second half of the year, the industry was generally optimistic about the future development of the shipping industry.
Insiders analyzed to the "Securities Daily" reporter that this round of container freight price increases began in the middle of this year. At that time, after the domestic epidemic was brought under control, foreign countries were greatly affected by the epidemic, and many overseas orders were transferred to the domestic market. When shipping from China, the shipping price began to rise. According to Liu Wang's prediction, this round of price increases will continue until the first quarter of next year.
An unnamed person in charge of maritime logistics said: "As the epidemic stabilizes, this hot market will continue into the first half of next year, or even longer."
"This wave of increase in container shipping prices has driven the adjustment of the entire foreign trade sector, breaking the laws of the past decades in the industry. Not only ocean freight, air freight and land transportation have different levels of influence and changes. The epidemic has accelerated the entire large trade sector. The consolidation and adjustment of the shipping sector will gradually move towards intensive development. Shipping companies have become monopolistic after years of integration and mergers. The aviation sector and the land transport sector are also rapidly integrated, and a new chapter will emerge in the future foreign trade field." People say so.
According to Huang Tianhua, chairman of the China Container Industry Association and vice president of CIMC, predicted that the shortage of containers may continue for about six months . He said: "We have monitored that if there are 500,000 new containers in China normally, they are in a completely healthy state if they are ready for use in the docks or ports, but the current tighter inventory is about 300,000 new containers. I expect it to be possible. In the next three months to six months, this slightly tense balance will continue. This is probably a trend in the current industry."
Although the industry is generally optimistic about the shipping industry, Liu Dian believes that the total global trade volume in 2020 will still drop a certain percentage from the previous year, but from the perspective of the shipping industry, it will definitely be from the third quarter to the fourth quarter. There will be a better market.
Liu Dian said: “Affected by the epidemic in the first half of the year, the uncertainties slowed down in the second half of the year, and the overall trend showed a relatively large rebound. Therefore, from a macro perspective, global international trade has rebounded to a certain extent. China is the first to resume the rebound led by the next."
" At present, the shipping industry is mainly affected by three factors :
Di Yi factor is that the global economy is expected to have a recovery, so after the third quarter, international trade has been warmer, led the field of shipping industry as a whole for the better, whether it is from container or just have some trade from the sea to pick up case .
The second factor is that with the signing of the RCEP agreement, a series of regional economic integration cooperation relations in East Asia and Southeast Asia will improve, which will benefit the import and export trade of China and related countries.
The third factor is that although the epidemic has not been eliminated on a global scale, all countries are in short supply, such as medical supplies, production supplies, and living supplies. China is now the world's largest trade surplus country. Under such circumstances, China's export trade, including part of its import trade, will also get a relatively large rebound in demand, and at the same time promote the rise of a series of shipping-related industry indexes in related fields, including the container shipping index. "Liu Dian said.
