West African shippers are suffering from a lack of containers for exports.
The shortage of shipping opportunities in West Africa may improve if the purchase of NileDutch by Hapag-Lloyd goes through. Photo by NileDutch
The shipping companies are struggling to meet demand. According to Bloomberg, most shipping containers are made in China and manufacturers suffered a collapse in orders in early 2020.
The recovery in global trade was so swift that container box makers in China were unable to raise production fast enough and this led to shortages and is part of the reason for soaring freight rates.
The shortage of shipping opportunities in West Africa may improve if the purchase of NileDutch by Hapag-Lloyd goes through. Hapag-Lloyd hopes to capture a larger share of the West African market. NileDutch is one of the leading providers of container services from and to West Africa.
