TYPICALLY ELEVATED pre-Christmas volumes are testing the capacity and patience of shipping operators and shippers alike, according to an advisory issued by ANL Containerline.
The line says its feeder operator, Strait Link , is currently operating at reduced capacity for shipments from Melbourne to Tasmania while it awaits the return of Victorian Reliance II from its special survey drydocking in Singapore.
Chartered vessel Peregrine is operating alongside the regular Tasmanian Achiever II but has a lanemetre capacity of 2900 metres, compared to Strait Link’s pair at 3500 lanemetres.
“This has resulted in significant delays and a growing backlog of Tasmania-bound containers in Melbourne,” ANL says. To minimize idle time and potential delays, we are prioritizing containers for feeder transport based on their arrival time in Melbourne.
“Despite our best efforts, there may still be an overall delay for all cargo arriving in Tasmania during the month of December and early January 2025.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by these unforeseen circumstances. Please rest assured that we are working diligently to expedite container movements and mitigate an impact on your operations,” ANL said.
Victorian Reliance II is en route back from Singapore and listed to arrive Melbourne on 12 December, before resuming Melbourne-Burnie service soon afterwards.
Vehicle/freight space on the Spirit of Tasmania ro-paxes is usually booked solid at this time of year and while SeaRoad Shipping’s Searoad Mersey II and Liekut are running normally Melbourne-Devonport, Liekut is also due to head to Singapore shortly for its own drydocking.
