Latest News

The shipping industry into Europe, the UK, and Ireland is currently facing significant challenges due to limited space availability. This situation contrasts with regions like New Zealand and Australia, where there are dedicated Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) ships for used cars. In the UK, RORO shipping primarily accommodates new car shipments from China and Japan, with used cars only getting space if available.

In 2021, new car exports from Japan decreased sharply due to supply chain issues, such as microchip shortages and disruptions linked to China's strict COVID-19 policies. This decline was a boon for used car exporters, who found more space on these RORO ships. However, by the end of 2021, new car exports began to rebound, filling the ships to capacity and leaving little room for used cars. Entering 2022, this trend intensified, creating a backlog not only for new car makers but also for used car exporters.

Shipping lines are experiencing a period of high profitability due to full ship capacities and the opportunity to raise rates. They show little incentive to address the space shortage by borrowing ships from less busy lines, as this would mean not maximizing their current profits. The focus of these shipping lines is on sustaining their record profits, with little regard for the challenges faced by their used car customers, including Japanese exporters and European, UK, and Irish importers. This situation continues to be a major headache for those in the used car shipping industry, so please bare with us!