ottotheboar

I was speaking to my agent in the UK today and the situation regarding shipping from the USA to the UK is pretty bleak.
Shipping companies are making bookings with steamship lines and they are often pushed back or rolled is the term used.
One the shipment is loaded the vessel may not stop in the port originally planned but unload in a European port, Rotterdam being one.
Southhampton and Felixstowe are the worst for this.
It may be at least two weeks to ship the weeks to the UK.
Once the shipment is cleared there is now a shortage of drivers to deliver to the final destination.
Prices from the USA to the UK have levelled around $1500 for a forty foot container ocean freight from Norfolk to Liverpool.

scilly

ALL shipping around the world is in poor shape at the moment. The main cause of course is covid, and the internet shopping that people did during lockdowns.

Containers are in the wrong place, and who wants to ship empty containers from a to b

That means goods are held up in warehouses until there is a container available, or containers are held up at the docks until there is a ship.

Currently it seems that ships are being held in holding areas outside the harbour in Vancouver, BC for at least 10-12 days instead of the usual 4 or less.

Then there's unloading and loading at the docks, transporting on land by truck or train ............. ALL are overwhelmed.

The movement of trains and trucks in both western US and Canada was also made difficult this summer with the massive wild fires that we suffered from at least April until currently, that has goods backed up all along the line.

Add to that the problem of dockers and truckies in every country (or so it seems) who have left and taken other jobs.

That huge ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal only exacerbated the problem.

getoutofbritainquick

Our belongings started their journey to UK in early July from Victoria in BC. They were held up in Burnaby waiting for a container for some considerable time. Our belongings were finally shipped to the Port of Vancouver 6 weeks ago. We had a call telling us the container was expected to arrive in the UK on the 27th October and an update this week stating a further delay until the 31st with delivery to our property on the 8th November. We are not holding our breathe though. I will believe what they say when our belongings turn up at our door!

ottotheboar

If you have the name and voyage number of the vessel you can follow it on marine tracking.
My original post was intended to inform people who would be shipping from the East Coast.

getoutofbritainquick

Thanks for the heads up. I managed to find the order number for the shipping company and found out the name of the vessel. I was quite shocked to see the vessel had already called into Southampton and is now going around in circles waiting to enter the port at Hamburg. The info says it is scheduled to dock in Hamburg at 1800 on the 30th October. We have been told the ship is due in Tilbury on the 31st which I think is now going to be highly unlikely. Looks like yet more delays. 😔

Lion in Winter

Well at least you know it's in the right part of the world I suppose.

scilly

There was an article in the Vancouver Sun last week about the number of ships waiting to get into docks in every country. Vancouver apparently has close to 80 waiting out in the various holding areas, just to get into the harbour proper.

West Coast US ports have a hundred or so in holding areas.

Some Asian ports have a couple of hundred.

British ports have hold ups both to get into the dock for unloading, but also containers piled up as much as 10 high waiting for transport away from the docks.

Hold-ups have included the ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal, but also recent (ie in the last 1-2 weeks) cyclones and typhoons in different areas of Asia.

What this means is hold-ups in all kinds of ways ................... your goods, manufacturers' orders from other countries, shortage of goods for Christmas.

ottotheboar

Getting closer. Try to get a vessel / voyage number for the Hamburg / Tilbury voyage. Arrival on the 31st in Tilbury sounds optimistic, from what I am hearing from people with containers inbound from the USA a week at least sounds closer to the mark.

getoutofbritainquick

Yep now scheduled to leave Hamburg on the 5th and arrive at London Gateway on the 6th! Last week is was the 27th October!!!! We may just have our belongings before Christmas!!! It’s a bit like Groundhog Day!!!

ottotheboar

That sounds correct. Just waiting for customs clearance and and driver to deliver the container.

getoutofbritainquick

The latest update to our container saga is it’s scheduled to arrive in London Gateway on the 7th November and delivered on on the 17th and 18th November subject to customs clearance.
Our shipper has informed us that British shippers are charging each container a port congestion fee of £371 on top of what we have already paid. If we had not had to pay our thousands already due to the long delay. Absolutely disgusting.

ottotheboar

Unfortunately they have your container and you are being held hostage, I would read the invoice very carefully and see who is actually tacking this fee on.
I have known some true weasels over the years who will tack on various fees on the basis of them holding your goods.
They have the upper hand as if you dispute it and there is a delay demurrage will kick in.

getoutofbritainquick

Well the good news is that our belongings are being delivered this Wednesday and Thursday.

ottotheboar

Finally !!
I have a container to go out of Norfolk Virginia to Liverpool next month will see how it goes.

Lion in Winter

I'll be interested to see how long it takes.

It would help to know if we will be without furniture for one month or three.