The level of satisfaction concerning container carriers among exporters, importers, and freight forwarders falls marginally, according to the third annual shipper satisfaction survey of Drewry and the European Shippers’ Council (ESC).

The container shipping industry is facing an exceptionally high level of uncertainty, ranging from the extra cost associated with IMO 2020 and how much carriers will recover from shippers, to the possibility of a trade recession and unknown future engagement by shipowners in large vessel building programmes, according to Drewry’s latest Container Forecaster.

Alternative capacity could be provided by short-sea container services between the UK and EU to alleviate possible congestion at the Port of Dover post-Brexit, according to a study by global shipping consultancy Drewry.