How many sailings are carriers cancelling this winter?
Drewry expects 56 sailings on the main east-west routes to be cancelled between early November and the first week of December, while 92% of planned voyages in that window still sail. Asia to North Europe and the Med accounts for almost half of the cancellations and the transpacific route for about a third. The space that remains goes to cargo that is already booked, so this is the month to put January and February arrivals on paper.
When should formwork plywood ship to avoid Tet 2027?
December and early January sailings stay clear of the holiday gap. The shutdown begins about five days before Tet on 6 February 2027, and the supply chain needs 30 to 40 days afterwards to reach full speed again. December also sits far enough ahead of Tet to leave room for one missed sailing.
What does a 40ft container from Hai Phong cost right now?
Vinawood is planning on about $7,500 to the US West Coast, $9,630 to the US East Coast, $3,690 to North Europe and $4,150 to the Med for a 40ft from Hai Phong. Drewry's World Container Index fell 3% to $4,429 per 40ft on 29 October, mostly on softer transpacific prices, while rates to Europe were firm. Booking the container together with the confirmed order is the most reliable way to hold a rate close to those figures.
How much slack should a pour date allow for late ships?
Plan the site date a week or two after the scheduled arrival. Sea-Intelligence found that only about half of vessels worldwide arrived on time in September, and late ships came in close to a week behind. Distributors restocking for spring can also split one large late-January order into two smaller loads a few weeks apart.
How are plywood containers reaching the Gulf at the moment?
With the Strait of Hormuz still disrupted, mainline ships are not calling directly at Jebel Ali or Dammam. Containers for the UAE mostly land at Khor Fakkan or Fujairah and travel on by truck, and Saudi cargo is coming in through Jeddah and King Abdullah Port on the Red Sea. The ports are working, but the extra leg adds time, so the routing is agreed at the quote stage.
How do exchange rates and panel prices affect a Q1 order?
Vinawood quotes in US dollars, so the buyer's own currency sets the landed cost. The ECB had the euro at about $1.12 on 30 October, and the Bank of Canada had the US dollar at about C$1.40. A forward contract taken out with a Q1 order fixes the rate for the payment date, and with British Columbia's report showing softwood plywood prices unchanged through late October, a delivered cost fixed now is easier to pass on in spring quotes.
