Cutting freight forwarders? Some shipping companies are preparing to connect only with shippers

The previous continuous rise in shipping prices has made freight forwarders a close link between shippers and shipping companies, but recently a piece of information about Maersk skipping freight forwarders and connecting directly with shippers has caused heated discussion.

According to foreign media reports, in order to attract larger shippers, Maersk is expected to handle only cargo from direct shippers from November 1, thereby reducing freight forwarding . The report shows that Maersk provides a single platform that provides shippers with door-to-door cargo booking services, saying that it will help simplify the transportation process and provide more benefits to shippers.

It is reported that some freight forwarders charged a contract rate of about US$4,000/feu from Asia to Europe , but when resold it to customers, the price became five times that to US$20,000/feu. The price difference caused Maersk to lose money, so Maersk’s move was to "punish" the freight forwarders.

However, Maersk responded that freight forwarders have always been and will continue to be one of their largest customer groups. The company has now notified some customers that it can no longer meet all their expectations due to unprecedented port congestion and supply chain disruptions, especially on specific routes from Asia to Europe and Asia to North America. However, customers can still conduct business online and on more than 40 other available trade lanes.

Regarding the news that Maersk directly handles shippers, some people said that although the middle links have been reduced, there are still certain problems, such as whether shippers are willing to deal directly with shipping companies (shippers begin to pay attention to personalized services); it may be good news for large-volume shippers, but whether shippers of small-tonnage goods have to find other ways .

Freight forwarders are more concerned about this. Someone from the Freight Forwarding Association said that shipping companies' refusal to provide services to freight forwarders in some aspects seems to be a form of discrimination and there is also suspicion of abuse of market dominance.

Some people in the GSF (Global Shippers Forum) expressed concerns that if the shipping company really implements the plan, the shared commercially sensitive information should be excluded from the initiative. They do not want the company to become the next giant accused of antitrust and hope that regulators will keep up with the pace. However, it is understood that the shipping company itself is gradually entering the freight forwarding agency market.

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