Significant cargo shift from air to sea

A new study has found a pronounced shift is taking place from air cargo to ocean transport, with new container technologies contributing to the trend, according to transportation consultancy, Seabury.

“A decade ago, tomatoes were just as likely to be transported by air as in a reefer container. Today, tomatoes are transported almost entirely in containers; the same holds true for numerous other perishable commodities,” said Seabury’s maritime advisor and author of the report, Derek Brand.

He identified that around 100,000 teu per year are transported by ocean carriers instead of by air, with the shift particularly noticeable with commodities such as tomatoes, capsicum, fresh fish, lettuce and pineapples, but not only perishables.  “The volumes that have shifted to ocean transport are significant for the air cargo industry,” he added.