Many container ships sail around the world empty. Passing through is cheaper than stationary. That is the answer of the largest shipping companies to the loss of demand for goods in recent months. "It's like a bus line. Regardless of the number of passengers, that bus runs the fixed route. It is the same with the largest container ships, 'says Johan Geeroms, Risk Director of Euler Hermes Netherlands.

"An absurd idea; container ships the size of apartment buildings, which circumnavigate the globe with a load of air. That it happens has to do with calculation. How can you make the corona sling as small as possible? By sailing from Europe to Asia with empty containers, you can load them on that side again. China is the world's factory. The flow of goods is getting going again there. ”

Half a million euros
According to Geeroms, the shipping companies choose the cheapest routes. 'It will soon cost half a million euros to sail via a large container ship via the Suez Canal. This can be done cheaper by sailing all the way around Africa. So that is happening now. That takes much longer, but the time factor currently weighs much less heavily. Customers are less in a hurry. Nobody is waiting for an overcrowded warehouse. Add to this the fact that the oil price is extremely low. '

The global goods flow has been disrupted by the corona crisis. Full containers remained in Chinese factories or ports, causing a shortage of empty containers. That is why container ships go completely empty that way. There are always empty containers on board, but the current situation is everything. I know that 30 percent more empty containers left the port of Antwerp this spring. '

50.000 containers
Worldwide container shipping is almost entirely in the hands of a few large parties. There has been enormous upscaling. “There are now ships that carry 25.000 containers. Technically it seems possible to build ships for 50.000 containers. That will also happen. At the same time, the shipping price has fallen dramatically in recent years. Stabilization is now taking place around 750 to 1000 euros per container. It's all about efficiency. Capacity management goes extremely far. And apparently it is cheaper to continue sailing with empty containers than to put a ship aside, 'says Johan Geeroms of Euler Hermes Netherlands.

According to Geeroms, the question is whether container shipping can continue on this level in the future. "More and more people are questioning the current globalization. People recognize the dangers of a one-sided dependence on production in only one country. Buying closer to home seems the alternative, but it is also more expensive. The OECD also warns against this: there is a hefty price tag to reverse the global 'value chains'. As long as we are not out of this, empty container ships will continue to circulate on the world's seas. '

Also read: Call for VNG and Rijk for continuity of target group transport