Blank Sailings: Why Do They Affect International Trade?

Blank Sailings: Why Do They Affect International Trade?

Speculations around logistics can keep the price of goods transportation high. Is "blank sailing" an operational strategy where the shipowner cancels a trip entirely or skips a port where it was previously scheduled to stop?

If your company deals with import/export, it needs to better understand the concept of blank sailing and its main impacts on cargo shipments.

What is blank sailing?

Blank sailing is a term in foreign trade that indicates the cancellation of a ship's stop at a specific port, resulting in a partial or total change of its planned route.

When a blank sailing occurs, the ship can no longer dock at one of the planned ports, which may lead to a change only in the part of the route related to that port or even in the entire route, depending on the circumstances.

This situation may also involve the cancellation of services related to other ports on the ship's route. In these cases, the cargo may be rescheduled for the next planned port or directed to the next voyage of the ship.

Why do they occur?

Blank sailings are generally motivated by financial and operational issues, occurring when the demand for space on a ship is very low. In these situations, shipowners choose to cancel the scheduled trip for the ship, aiming to accumulate cargo for the next vessel.

This practice aims to ensure that spaces allocated for cargo transportation are always occupied, keeping freight rates high and stable even during periods of lower crossing activity.

Blank sailings are especially common after the Golden Week and the Chinese New Year, when factories are closed and demand for ships is reduced. With little or no cargo being sent to ports during these holidays, the lack of sufficient volume to ship the following week often motivates this practice.

How does this situation affect shipments?

When cargo reserved for a departure is affected by a blank sailing, its departure is rescheduled. The main challenge in these cases is to ensure that importers and exporters manage the operational completion cycle properly.

This requires a solid recovery and execution planning by the companies involved in foreign trade, aiming to minimize the financial and time-related consequences of the unexpected.

It is advisable to rely on specialized import and export advisory services that keep you and your business informed about the status of the cargo and ensure that rescheduling is done in line with your needs.


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