Cost of 'land bridge' alternative to Panama Canal too high for carriers

Liner operators say they are unlikely to emulate Maersk in using land transport to circumvent the Panama Canal restrictions, as moving containers by land in the Americas could drive costs up more than 30%.

In January, the Panama Canal Authority increased the number of daily transit slots to 24, despite first announcing a reduction to 18 for February. However, this is still fewer than the usual 36 daily transits through the waterway.

In response, Maersk announced its OC1 service from Oceania to North and South America would instead call at Balboa port in Panama on the Pacific side, and discharge boxes there.

In the opposite direction, vessels would discharge shipments for Australia and New Zealand at Panama’s port of Manzanillo, on the Atlantic side. These containers are sent by rail across the canal to be transhipped.

Last month’s Clarksons’ Container Intelligence Monthly stated that ONE had followed Maersk by announcing it would be using a ‘land bridge’ involving rail across Panama for some services, omitting canal transits.

However, a ONE spokesperson clarified to The Loadstar: “This is just a temporary land bridge operation for destinations of small volumes in the Caribbean Sea and South American east coast. We have conducted this operation in the past, even before the Panama congestion this time.

“This is just a similar case to past initiatives and, hence, we didn’t ‘follow in Maersk’s footsteps’.”

The spokesperson added: “Our service which hasn’t been able to pass the Panama Canal calls at Rodman port. Since there isn’t any rail service to Rodman, we’re temporarily adopting inland truck service if needed.”

A representative of ONE’s THE Alliance partner, Yang Ming, told land bridge options were not cost-effective.

“Land bridge movements account for just 10% of our US east coast services; because empty containers can only be transported back to Asia by seaborne transport, the cost of a landbridge is too high.

“Today, the freight rate from Asia to the US east coast is around $5,900 per 40ft. A normal Panama transit will take 37 days, but with the diversion round the Cape of Good Hope, you add five to six days. Using a land option will take around 30 days, but add nearly $2,000 to the cost,” he explained.