Empty Container De-Directions – Need for Adequate Notice

Empty Container De-Directions – Need for Adequate Notice

Empty Container De-Directions – Need for Adequate Notice

Empty Container De-Directions – Need for Adequate Notice

A significant contributor to the higher costs of empty container management in Sydney are the number and frequency of empty container “re-directions” ordered at the discretion of the shipping lines with little notice.

Port Botany is Australia’s empty container “Re-Direction Capital”, with over 30 re-direction notices current every day, equating to hundreds of re-directions per month. By contrast, this is more than double the number of re-directions in Melbourne.

To make matters worse, the lack of sufficient operational notice of the re-directions means that trucks with a valid ECP arrival notification, based on the original de-hire location specified by the shipping line, are being turned away because a re-direction has been put in place last minute.

This results in futile truck trips, added truck kilometres travelled, more “one-way” under-utilisation of trucks, the need to constantly rearrange empty containers stacked in transport yards, and de-hire time delays.

Shipping lines and ECPs should give at least 24 hours’ notice of any re-direction and a clear end date.