HIGHLIGHTS
- Maersk has launched six different types of contracts for the 2022 tender season to further promote container shipping services towards long-term contract businesses.
- “Customers have asked for clearer contracts. So what we did was understand what our customers were looking for, and we designed six different types of contracts to meet their needs better. ”
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Introducing six new contract types
Maersk has launched six different types of contracts for the 2022 tender season to further promote container shipping services towards long-term contract businesses. And it is rumored that Maersk and company con Hamburg Süd will decline delivery orders next year.
A New Zealand forwarder said he had called Hamburg Süd to get a quote on the carrier’s Trans-Tasman Polaris service but had not been quoted. And he believes the rumors that Maersk and Hamburg Süd are splitting up freight forwarders are correct.
“This is the clear message that their focus will now be on direct shipper contact and provision of landside and services packages. They will have all services in-house for shipping, land transport and ancillary clearance services,” said the forwarder.
Maersk Contract products ‘flat’, ‘seasonal pre-set’ and ‘seasonal sync’ are traditional ocean contract agreements; while ‘block space’, ‘flexible’ and ‘unlimited’ are partnership deals only on offer via the carrier’s sales team, who will “guide customers towards the best solution for their needs”.
Maersk’s explanation
Maersk said it decided to change its traditional contractual clause agreements because customers had told them “need to be clearer about the type of contract and the products they buy from us”.
In addition, Maersk also said: “Customers have asked for clearer contracts. So what we did was understand what our customers were looking for, and we designed six different types of contracts to meet their needs better. ”
They further claim that each of these six types of contracts will provide confidence and assurance in terms of their availability of space onboard and transportation costs.
This is an attempt by Maersk to tighten up what many have described as a flaw in the contract. Most of them were generated through e-mail exchange and resulted in the omission of both parties.
Maersk is also being very selective in its contract negotiations. They “remove” some bids that don’t add to their main portfolio of 200 customers or where they feel “the shipper will not honor the deals.”
Manh Nguyen
Maersk warns Yantian port congestion a ‘much bigger disruption’ than Suez Canal closure
