But there is light at the end of the tunnel,” stresses Patrick Merkel, managing director of Prologue Solutions GmbH. “The ocean freight market is also still in the greatest chaos since the invention of the container itself. and China put strong pressure on ship owners, spot rates stabilized in December – at a high level. Statisticians calculated that shipping lines reduced capacity between China and the European North Sea ports by about 20 percent after the economic shutdown during the first lockdown period in spring. In some cases, surcharges had to be accepted to ensure that deliveries arrived at their destination on time, so shippers paid up to 10,000 US dollars per container.įorwarders from Europe accused the international shipping companies of an “artificial shortage” of capacity on the China-Europe route. At the end of January 2021, the price was up to 8,000 US dollars. Transporting a 40-foot container from China to Europe cost around 1,400 US dollars in March 2020. Until then, shippers who want to book cargo room at short notice will have to pay heavily and still run the risk of container shipments being postponed by seven to 14 days,” emphasizes Ralf Duester, board member of the Bochum-based SCM software provider Setlog.Ī comparison with the previous year shows how sharply prices for container shipments from Asia have risen. ![]() “Only when the holidays are over, with the subsequent clearing of backlogs after the New Year, do we expect to see an alleviation of tension in logistics and freight rates at the end of March. During the week-long state vacation to mark the New Year for the “Year of the Ox,” the economy and logistics will come to a near standstill. Because many traders replenish their stocks after Christmas or have produced new seasonal goods, the ports in China are currently experiencing high freight volumes. ![]() The start of the Chinese New Year on February 12 is now exacerbating the situation even further. Capacity bottlenecks in sea freight and a lack of empty containers have caused importers of goods from Asia to suffer for months. Fully loaded container ship: Chinese ports see a high volume of cargo before the New Year. Setlog publishes seven expert tips for Asian trade.Experts forecast falling sea freight rates in the long term.Reduction of supply backlogs may take up to six weeks.
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