Space shortage, price hikes, delays: the real year of European logistics in 2021

European logistics in 2021, in one sentence: every link was under pressure.

• Sea freight — main-lane rates rose to historic highs, some lanes multiplied; port congestion caused severe schedule delays, making "arrival time" almost meaningless;
• Containers — shortage and detention coexisted; clients could book space yet still fail to get a box;
• Air freight — demand spilled into air, further pushing prices up;
• Last mile — labor shortages at EU/US warehouses stretched inbound booking queues.

The biggest change this year was not price but a shift in perception. Before, many sellers treated logistics as a procurement item to squeeze; after 2021, more and more began treating it as a risk to manage — whether inventory can keep up, whether goods can move in peak, whether there is an alternative channel. These questions moved to the main table of operations meetings for the first time.

Also from this year, "multi-channel combination" became industry consensus: no longer putting all cargo on one transport mode. Sea as the base, truck express as backup, air for emergencies became the standard setup for many sellers.