A Genco Shipping & Trading supramax recently discharged the first containers shipped from China to the US under a charter from FedEx.
The 58,000-dwt Genco Pyrenees (built 2010) used the Port of Hueneme in California to deliver 184 containers packed with electronics, car parts, clothing and other items, port officials said.
FedEx said it is the first of several vessels it has chartered to carry essential consumer goods from China to the US west coast.
The company said it can cut transit time by more than 20 days docking at the Port of Hueneme rather than in nearby Los Angeles and Long Beach.
“For FedEx Logistics, it is the first time in our history that we have chartered a vessel for our customers,” Udo Lange, president and chief executive of FedEx Logistics, said in a post on LinkedIn.
“Our team explored this idea so we could help continue the flow of goods, while the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach work on solving the congestion they are experiencing.”
Lange said the company is “proud to serve as stakeholders on the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force” and looks forward to continuing to provide input on solutions.
“Providing this solution to our customers would not be possible without the collaboration of leaders at the Port of Hueneme and the US Navy base,” he said.
“I’d also like to thank our team at FedEx Logistics. The tenacity and hard work of our team helped us deliver for our customers in an innovative way.”
Jeb Clulow, shipping partner in Reed Smith’s transportation industry group, said: “After more than 60 years of containerisation, ever larger specialist ships and ever more specialist automated container terminals, FedEx has been forced to go back in time, chartering bulk carriers to move containers via the Port of Hueneme and its US Navy base. FedEx are to be applauded for their innovation in working to unjam the logistics chain.
“This is just another sign of the supply chain crisis we are witnessing as companies look for inventive ways to continue to meet the needs of customers. We are seeing an increasing focus on supply chain management from our clients and expect this to continue throughout 2022.”
FedEx is one of many big-name brands that have taken shipping matters into its own hands due to the unprecedented disruptions in the container market.
Coca-Cola opted to ship freight on bulk carriers rather than containerships in the face of port congestion and rising freight costs.
The soft-drinks giant has chartered the 34,400-dwt Aphrodite M, 35,000-dwt Weco Lucilia C and 35,130-dwt Zhe Hai 505 (all built 2011).
US retailers such as Target, Walmart and Home Depot have also claimed to have chartered their own tonnage to avoid the delays.
