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Carrier bulk slot sales to co-loaders said to undermine contract rates
来源：shippingazette.com 编辑：编辑部 发布：2017/11/09 09:53:28
SELLING slots to resellers - or co-loaders - is fuelling rate volatility that threatens long-term contracts between carriers and shippers, notes IHS Media.
Through this practice carriers are allowing high volume non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) to buy wholesale capacity and retail it to hundreds of Asian forwarders.
Co-loaders - called master loaders or neutral NVOCCs - have become big players in the transpacific because of a carrier willingness to sell space in bulk knowing it will be re-marketed.
Ten to 15 per cent of 15 million TEU in annualised eastbound transpacific volumes to the US, goes this way according to IHS Markit data.
Since a neutral NVOCC is only a wholesaler and not interested in direct customer relations, forwarders are willing to buy from them without exposing their customer to the risk of back-selling.
These forwarders then openly market the co-loaders' rates through mass emailing. Co-loading growth is the result of overcapacity and resulting rate competition among carriers who often prefer filling ships and seeking market share rather than longer-term profitability.
The emails containing specific rates go beyond weekly rate indices published by Drewry, Freightos, the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, and others in showing actual rates on offer between specific port pairs, which allow for direct comparisons with contract rates, said IHS Media.
Of course, contract rates between BCOs and carriers are usually annualised rates that come with capacity assurances; depending on negotiated terms, they can be adjusted downward if spot rates decline.
But the volatility in rates can still frustrate BCOs seeking stability, and in recent weeks, some BCOs have openly stated that the volatility is undermining their direct relationships.
Through this practice carriers are allowing high volume non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) to buy wholesale capacity and retail it to hundreds of Asian forwarders.
Co-loaders - called master loaders or neutral NVOCCs - have become big players in the transpacific because of a carrier willingness to sell space in bulk knowing it will be re-marketed.
Ten to 15 per cent of 15 million TEU in annualised eastbound transpacific volumes to the US, goes this way according to IHS Markit data.
Since a neutral NVOCC is only a wholesaler and not interested in direct customer relations, forwarders are willing to buy from them without exposing their customer to the risk of back-selling.
These forwarders then openly market the co-loaders' rates through mass emailing. Co-loading growth is the result of overcapacity and resulting rate competition among carriers who often prefer filling ships and seeking market share rather than longer-term profitability.
The emails containing specific rates go beyond weekly rate indices published by Drewry, Freightos, the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, and others in showing actual rates on offer between specific port pairs, which allow for direct comparisons with contract rates, said IHS Media.
Of course, contract rates between BCOs and carriers are usually annualised rates that come with capacity assurances; depending on negotiated terms, they can be adjusted downward if spot rates decline.
But the volatility in rates can still frustrate BCOs seeking stability, and in recent weeks, some BCOs have openly stated that the volatility is undermining their direct relationships.