Transporeon’s Market Intelligence experts conducted a quarterly survey asking 165 ocean shipping experts about their Top Issues for Global Ocean Freight 2021.
The answers show that the hottest topics for shippers are related to global port congestion, capacity challenges and the impact of COVID-19 in general. At the same time, shippers feel confident about the risk of cyber-attacks as well as regulations and politics (FMC investigation, trade disputes, etc.).
The survey suggests the impact of challenges associated with enforcing freight contracts, and reduced negotiation power over spot rate developments could turn out to be greater than anticipated in the long term. Meanwhile, shippers are expressing slightly more concern about IMO/Greenhouse gas regulations than about schedule reliability. The level of uncertainty* regarding the impact of COVID-19 increased in comparison to the results from the Q3 survey, however now shippers are feeling more optimistic about long-term impact**.
