Since the beginning of international shipping in the second half of last year, sea freight rates have been "stepping up" like bamboo festivals, and there seems to be no stopping at all, and the main factors affecting sea freight rates are port congestion and container shortages.
The Suez Canal is blocked and the recent salt fields are blocked. Impact of the Yantian Port outbreak? It takes 1 to 3 months to clean up the accumulated containers! Delays continued at Nansha port and Shekou port.
In the short term, these problems will not be solved. At present, the phenomenon of delaying ships in guangzhou port of Shenzhen is very serious. Ningbo and Shanghai ports are better, other ports are a mess. In addition, shipping charges are likely to rise in July! Short-term freight from China to northern Europe is known to have passed the $20,000 mark for every 40 feet, while trans-Pacific routes to the west coast of the United States have been driven by some carriers for as much as $25,000.
On Monday, industry insiders revealed that they had received a shipping fee report from Shanghai to Los Angeles. In July, the top five shipping companies offered $28,000 per 40ft for shipping from Chinese ports to Felixtowe and Southampton, with an average price of about $18,000. Although these sharp increases include an additional fee to ensure the availability of equipment and space, some shippers complain that their shipments are still being delayed.
"We paid their ridiculously high price, thinking it was over, but then we learned from the local agent that our box was still at the dock and the shipping company wanted more money before we could ship the goods", the Shenzhen freight forwarder revealed. Apparently, the FAK they insist on charging for the next ship will rise again, which means that their so-called premium is worthless.
As the peak season approaches, shippers in Europe and the U.S. need to prepare for another round of FAK and GRI rate hikes on July 1st, possibly starting in the middle of this month, with thousands of dollars in PSS (peak season surcharges).
The price from China/Asia to northern Europe this week was $10,979 per 40 feet, according to the Baltic Baltic Index.
Prices from China/Asia to the east coast of North America are $9,891 per 40 feet.
Prices from China/Asia to the West Coast of North America are $6905 per 40 feet.
Prices from China/Asia to the Mediterranean are $11,098 per 40 feet.
But as the cost of extras and a lot of other costs increases, the gap between the spot market index and the actual rate paid is widening every week, which means that if you want to ship, you're offering a much higher real price than the market announces.
We believe that we have experienced numerous "sky-high sea freight charges", so we naturally understand this. To ship or choose to ship as early as possible.