The freight rates of most routes have risen slightly again, and it is expected that there will be a sharp increase before the Spring Festival holiday in January!
According to the latest issue of the Ningbo Container Freight Index (NCFI), under the background of continued tight capacity, 15 of the 21 routes showed a slight increase.
From Asia to Northern Europe, Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) was flat at US$13,564 per 40 feet, the Baltic Freight Index (FBX) rose 1% to US$14,345, and the latest Xeneta Index (XSI-C) rose 3% to US$14,345. $14,443 per 40 feet.
According to reports, some shipping companies now provide freight forwarders and non-vessel carriers with Asia-Northern Europe rates for only two weeks, and they refuse to sign any short-term contracts before the Chinese New Year in February.
A UK-based non-vessel carrier with an office in China stated that its carrier’s representative has been “making excuses” to delay contract negotiations, and “either lies or is true regarding the carrier’s contract policy next year. Was not told".
For this shipper and many other small and medium-sized carrier customers, there is a lot of uncertainty in its 2022 budget. "For a long time, we haven't seen anyone offer or fulfill the transaction except spot freight. Everyone is saying,'Let's talk about it after the Lunar New Year'," he added.
Another British freight forwarding company stated that he was “worried about the worst-case scenario” and that other carriers would follow Maersk's example, effectively excluding smaller shippers from enjoying any stability in freight rates next year. He said: "Our customers want to know how much their shipping costs will be next year, and now there are only a few weeks away, we really have no idea."
At the same time, on trans-Pacific routes, Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) showed that Asia-Western US freight rates rose by 5% to 10,138 US dollars/FEU, and Eastern US freight rates rose 4% to 13,118 US dollars/FEU. The Baltic shipping price index FBX, which includes insurance premiums, showed a slight increase of 1% to US$14,924/FEU to the West of the United States, and a 3% increase to US$17,195/FEU to the East of the United States.
Although the peak season for this route is over, NCFI's comments pointed out that demand is "still at a high level."
Among the vessels still waiting for berth in the San Pedro Bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Panamax “Zhong Gu ShanDong” temporarily chartered by 3398teu has been berthed for 55 days. The specific berth is still There is no clear time. The cost of this idleness alone means a huge cost to the tenant, which, according to an agent’s estimate, exceeds $5 million.
