Wagenborg Establishes New Shipping Agency in Eastern Finland

Nov. 18, 2020 - Royal Wagenborg  announced that as of January 1, 2021, a new Wagenborg branch office in eastern Finland will be operational to offer full agency services in various ports around the Gulf of Finland and the Saimaa region.

According to Wagenborg, the main focus of the Finnish agency office will be the port of Hamina/Kotka and the entire lake Saimaa area. In addition, agency services can be provided in all other ports along the south coast of Finland -- from Naantali in the west to Loviisa in the east.

In these Finnish ports, Wagenborg can be contacted 24/7 year-round for agency services ensuring ships a quick turnaround in these ports. On a yearly basis about 400 port calls can be expected in these ports.

“Our presence in Finland means that our customers can be assured that our shipping agents have the local knowledge and industry expertise to find the best solution to cater for their needs," said Chartering Manager, Coos Blaauw.

In addition, Wagenborg Agencies also service several European ports from branch offices in Tarragona, Algeciras and Ceuta (Spain) and Delfzijl, Eemshaven, Rotterdam region, Amsterdam region and Terneuzen region (the Netherlands).

Founded in 1898, Royal Wagenborg is an international maritime logistics conglomerate. The family owned and managed company offers a variety of maritime services, being a total solution provider with regard to shipping, offshore services, towage services, maritime management services, warehousing and transshipment, crane rental and special and heavy transport.

SOURCE: Royal Wagenborg

Alexander Global Logistics Expands Bremerhaven Hub

Oct. 6, 2020 - Alexander Global Logistics (AGL) announced that it has expanded its warehouse capacity significantly in Bremerhaven for new business, especially in the pulp and paper sector.

With this expansion, AGL has increased its storage capacity from 6,000 to 21,000 m², in a total of three warehouses.

The location boosts the following advantages:

• Only 2 km distance to container terminal Bremerhaven
• A direct railway connection at the warehouse
• Close distance to the main highway

AGL explained that the expansion is a strategic step towards matching the increasing demands in terms of volume and handling requirements of the pulp and paper industry.

SOURCE: Alexander Global Logistics

Transpacific Rates Hit New Heights – Now Three Times Higher Than Asia-Europe

By Gavin van Marle for The Loadstar

Sept. 9, 2020 - Transpacific container shippers are paying more than three times as much as their Asia-North Europe counterparts, as freight rates on the headhaul leg from Asia to the west coast North America hit unprecedented highs.

According to new analysis from Alphaliner, after the Shanghai-Los Angeles SCFI spot rate reached a record $3,758 per feu on Friday, North American shippers and forwarders are now paying carriers $0.64 per nautical mile.

In contrast, North European importers are paying $0.19 per nautical mile for a shipment from Shanghai to Antwerp, the lowest of the nine routes covered by the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index.

“The fact that earnings per nautical mile are more than three times as high on the Asia-USWC trade is remarkable, as carriers need fewer resources (ships and equipment) on a shorter trade,” wrote Alphaliner today.

“A typical Far East-North Europe service requires the deployment of some 12 ships, whereas six are sufficient for a transpacific south-west loop.”

The complete article can be found on The Loadstar's website: theloadstar.com/transpacific-rates-hit-new-heights-now-three-times-higher-than-asia-europe

Germany Exported Logs at Record Pace in Early 2020, with Almost 50% Destined for China

Aug. 30, 2020 - The log market in Germany has been extremely volatile in the first half of 2020, with high demand from the export market and a tight supply of fresh green logs. When the Coronavirus Epidemic forced sawmills to close in March, domestic demand for sawlogs fell and the price increases seen earlier in the quarter reversed – resulting in both domestic and export prices falling.

Sawlog prices varied throughout the country depending on the level of local supply, the quality of the beetle-killed timber, the availability of fresh logs, and the competition from log exporters.

Log prices also varied due to contract volumes and spot purchases. Towards the end of the quarter, spot prices fell to levels that barely covered the costs for logging and hauling the timber. The 1Q/20’s estimated average sawlog price was an increase from the previous quarter but substantially lower than the 1Q/19, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.

Softwood log exports from Germany have increased dramatically over the past five years, from 2.1 million m3 in 2014 to 7.4 million m3 in 2019. The oversupply of logs resulted in record high exports in the 3Q/19 followed by two quarters of q-o-q declines (see chart).

Despite the reduction in exports during the winter months, total shipments during the first four months of 2020 were up 38% as compared to the same period in 2019.

China has quickly become the largest market for German logs, accounting for almost 50% of all exported logs so far in 2020. From January to April this year, almost 2.4 million m3 of softwood logs were shipped to China. Log exportation from Europe to Asia is a recent trend. As late as 2017, there were practically no shipments of German logs outside of Europe.

Log export prices were fairly stable during most of 2019 but started to decline in late 2019 and early 2020. In March and April 2020, average prices were down about 14% as compared to the same months in 2019. Prices for logs destined for China have also declined substantially from early 2019 but are still nominally higher than the prices for logs shipped to other markets.

The large supply of logs in Germany has had little impact on the consumption of logs by the domestic sawmilling industry. The increase in lumber exports has been less dramatic than that of logs, with the y-o-y rate of change actually falling the past three years, from 12% (2015 to 2016) to 6% (2018 to 2019).

Wood Resource Quarterly is published by Wood Resources International, an internationally recognized forest industry consulting firm. For further information visit: www.woodprices.com.

SOURCE: Wood Resources International LLC