Dynamic market conditions continue to transform the logistics landscape and drive container carriers to invest in larger ships. And as the capacity of container ships grows, carriers find that they need to establish new alliances in order to fill these ships.
As market conditions evolve, new patterns of growth are emerging. The JOC recently reported that for the first time, the Port of Savannah is being called by more weekly trans-Pacific services than the Port of New York. (link)
In addition to understanding which ports are being called, it is imperative to understand the order in which ports are called on each service. Ports that are the first inbound port of call will attract intermodal cargoes above and beyond the levels dictated by local market demand. Similarly, last outbound ports of call will be most attractive to exporters. As Mercator predicted months ago, Charleston has attracted a new last outbound port of call on the trans-Pacific trade.
Mercator International has decades of experience in service network design, analysis, and forecasting. Our services are highly regarded and sought-after by port authorities, terminal operators, and beneficial cargo owners.
