Shipping Lines Priority Bookings:
Many client will have been contacted by our Customer Service Team and advised of the latest shipping line “innovation”, known as a Priority Booking and Rate Service.
A number of lines are now offering this “service”, particularly from Asia, whereby a Premium rate is applied and if accepted, you are guaranteed a slot on a particular sailing, basically this means you are given priority over lower paying cargo.
Kindly note while a booked slot is guaranteed, the schedule of the vessel is still subject to delay or congestion, it is not a guarantee on departure date from load port or arrival date at destination port. It is also noted that in most cases, a cancellation fee is also applicable if slot is cancelled after booking has been confirmed.
The ongoing congestion in main Asia ports is expected to continue for the immediate future, vessel schedules as we used to know them are in complete disarray due to the current congestion and unexpected peak season volumes, with little relief expected prior to Chinese New Year in mid-February 2021.