According to ENL Solutions, shippers are increasingly turning to RoRo vessels to transport goods amid a constant lack of capacity on container vessels.
A similar “spillover” of traditional containerised cargo to breakbulk and multipurpose vessels has been ongoing for nearly a year.
“What we started seeing now more than before are more tractors or different sizes of commercial vehicles, high-end heavy machinery, and even auto parts on cranes going on RoRo,” Toteva Lacayo said.
US ports handled 13,929 TEU of containerised imports coming off RoRo ships in the first five months of 2022, up 46.4 percent from the same period last year.
Lower than expected volumes of automobiles in the first half of 2022, according to IHS Markit — has opened more opportunities for shippers to scoop up unused RoRo space.
With tens of thousands of vehicles finished and waiting for semiconductors, the question is not whether global automobile production and, in turn, RoRo volumes will rebound, but when.
When that surge pops up, it’ll be a matter of how quickly RoRo ships can adjust to being back on track.
