If you are involved in international shipping, you may have encountered the term “blank sailing” or “void sailing”. This is when a shipping line or carrier decides to skip a scheduled port of call or an entire voyage due to low demand, overcapacity, weather conditions, port congestion, or other reasons. Blank sailing can cause significant disruption to your supply chain, as your cargo may be delayed, rerouted, or stranded at the origin or destination port. This can result in higher costs, lower customer satisfaction, and lost business opportunities.
So how can you plan ahead and mitigate the risks of blank sailing? Here are some tips to help you cope with this common challenge in container shipping:
Stay informed and updated
The first step is to monitor the sailing schedules of your carriers and be aware of any changes or cancellations. You can use online platforms such as Container xChange or Marine Insight to track the status of your shipments and get alerts on blank sailings. You can also communicate regularly with your freight forwarder or shipping agent to get the latest information and advice.
Book early and secure space
It reduces the available capacity on a vessel, which means that space can become scarce and expensive. To avoid missing out on space or paying higher rates, you should book your shipments as early as possible and secure your space with a booking confirmation. You can also consider using premium services that offer guaranteed space and priority loading for an extra fee.
Diversify your carriers and routes
Another way to reduce the impact of blank sailing is to diversify your carriers and routes. Instead of relying on one carrier or one route, you can spread your shipments across different carriers and routes that serve your origin and destination ports. This way, you can have more options and flexibility in case of blank sailing. You can also use multimodal transportation that combines different modes of transport such as rail, road, or air to reach your destination faster.
Build buffer time and inventory
It can cause delays in your delivery time, which can affect your production schedule and customer expectations. To avoid this, you should build buffer time into your lead time and inventory levels. You should also communicate with your suppliers and customers about the potential delays and adjust your orders and deliveries accordingly.
Use SOC containers to reduce blank sailing
SOC containers are containers that are owned by shippers or forwarders instead of carriers. They offer several benefits over COC containers (carrier-owned containers), such as lower costs, higher availability, and more flexibility. One of the main advantages of SOC containers is that they can reduce the risk of blank sailing, as they are not subject to the carrier’s capacity management decisions. You can use SOC containers to ship your cargo on any vessel that has space available, regardless of whether it is blanked or not. You can also avoid demurrage and detention charges that may arise from blank sailing.
You can find SOC containers on xChange, a platform that connects shippers and forwarders with container owners around the world. You can search for SOC containers by location, size, type, condition, availability, and price. You can also track and manage your SOC containers online with xChange’s smart logistics solutions.
Conclusion
Blank sailing is a reality in container shipping that can cause disruption to your supply chain. However, by following these tips, you can plan ahead and mitigate the risks of blank sailing. You can also use xChange to find SOC containers that can help you avoid blank sailing and save costs.
