PUBLISHER: Freight News (www.freightnews.co.za)
As the sea-freight industry continues to battle box availability shortfalls due to rampant port congestion, shipper-owned containers (SOCs) are finding more traction among freight forwarders.
This is despite SOCs being a more complex option compared with conventional containerisation, or carrier-owned containers (COCs).
According to research done by Container xChange in Hamburg, shippers are increasingly opting for SOCs.
Studies it conducted in changing freight behaviour, showed that 18% of respondents were willing to go the SOC route – a figure that doubled since 2020.
To put that leap from 9% to 18% into perspective, consider that, prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, only about 3% of respondents put up their hands when asked if they would use SOCs.
In other words, since 2019, shippers prepared to use SOCs, despite complexity and costing issues, have gone from 3% to 18%, a marked increase that underpins the growing desperation of shippers seeking alternatives to COC constraints.