| | APRIL 20228VANTAGE POINT W hile we can say with relative certainty that we are at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic--courtesy of the vaccines--the consequences of the pandemic are yet to be lived through. As with several industries, the COVID-19 impact on the supply chain industry has been total. The pandemic wreaked havoc on every segment of the value chain, forcing uncertainties within freight demand and capacity availability. The maritime ecosystem suffered as oscillating freight volumes and grounded container lines crippled stakeholders financially, even as they lay burdened with added pandemic-based expenses over worker health and safety. However, as the pandemic's first wave subsided and economies reopened for business, pent-up demand came rushing back, peaking at the year-end holiday season. The sustained increase in container demand on trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe lanes saw freight rates more than double their usual levels. As carriers struggled to get empty containers back to Asia, cargo rollovers continued to increase globally across all major transshipment ports. The shipping world went on to the next level of dynamism during the last quarter of 2020. In India, several containers transhipped via Mundra & Krishnapatnum ports rolled over to the second or the third vessel. On an average, in the South Asia market, the rollover ratios tend to increase by the second half of the year. However, the steep rise in demand after the lockdown effect needs to be factored in as well.An earlier-than-anticipated recovery saw Chinese manufacturing back on track in the second half of 2020, posting a 54.9 on its Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in November -- numbers never seen in a decade in China. With several vaccines in various stages of development OPERATIONAL VISIBILITY AND AUTOMATION CENTRAL TO MARITIME LOGISTICS OF THE FUTUREBy Huseni Vohra, Regional Sales Director - Ocean InsightsHuseni Vohra, Regional Sales Director
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