There appears to be little that ocean carriers can do to stem an Asia-Europe spot market in free-fall as economic conditions deteriorate and freight volumes continue to soften.
Asia-Europe
Asia-Europe
One of the most important trade lanes on the globe, the Asia-Europe trade is where mega-ships are typically deployed first after entering service because of the high level of trade between these regions. Ships on this route typically transit the Suez Canal, but low fuel prices and receding ice sheets in the Arctic have some carriers experimenting with routes around the Horn of Africa and Russia.
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21 Aug 2018
Asia-to-Southern Europe shippers now have quicker cargo transport options than the traditional Shanghai-to-St. Petersburg route, in Russia’s Novorossiysk port and Ukraine’s Chornomorsk and Odessa ports. In addition, as the latter ports expand and deploy economies of scale, their rates may drop below the traditional route as well.
21 Aug 2018
Along with trade tensions and the non-finalized new trade rules between the United States and the European Union, trade stakeholders are concerned about the condition of Turkey’s economy, a further deterioration of which would substantially hurt regional trade.
27 Jul 2018
However, the rising spot rate, while encouraging for ocean carriers as peak season approaches, has not — so far — refuted a perennial concern regarding rates and the second half of the year.
18 Jul 2018
Declining volume is forcing capacity cuts and heaping additional pressure on carriers battling to cope with rising operating costs.
30 May 2018
Concerning the peak season fee, at the same time that Hapag-Lloyd added a $1 fuel surcharge, the ocean carrier surprised the market with a peak season surcharge of $55 per TEU that it said will be levied from June 1 on all trades out of China.
25 May 2018
With such a sharp increase in bunker fuel prices that dragged carriers into a loss-making first quarter, it is no surprise that Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Co. will levy an emergency bunker surcharge from June 1.
11 May 2018
The latest move in the past three weeks firmly reversed a down trend that began immediately after the Lunar New Year pulled prices down to a level not seen in more than a year.
09 May 2018
A series of factors has lined up to ensure European shippers importing air cargo from Asia will be stuck with services to the congested hub airports.
13 Apr 2018
There is no stopping the decline in the Asia-North Europe spot rate, which is now at its lowest level in more than a year. With the market deep in the slow season and capacity still coming online, shippers are not in a mood to pay more on the spot market.
06 Apr 2018
It is the slow post-Lunar New Year season, but spot rates are now at a 12-month low, with China manufacturing production also starting to slow down.
21 Mar 2018
Capacity scheduled for deployment on the Asia-North Europe and Mediterranean trades over the next 12 weeks is well above the expected demand for the year.
16 Mar 2018
There was no sign of a peak shipping period on Asia-Europe routes in the run up to the Lunar New Year in 2018.
02 Feb 2018
Spot rates on the Asia–Europe and Med trades have remained subdued in the run up to Lunar New Year.
30 Jan 2018
The sheer scale of China’s waste import business means exporters need to find alternative markets for their recyclable products.
26 Jan 2018
Spot rates on Asia-Europe/Asia-Mediterranean are holding steady, but rate increases for Feb. 1 are in the cards as the peak Lunar New Year shipping period approaches.
19 Jan 2018
Spot rates have flattened on trades from China to Europe and the Mediterranean with Lunar New Year peak season yet to materialize.
12 Jan 2018
Spot rates are rising into a late Lunar New Year, with a host of carrier rate increases scheduled for early February.
09 Jan 2018
Excess capacity in the market is doing carriers no favors in contract talks with shippers, and even though demand is growing, it will not be strong enough to address the surplus in supply.
29 Dec 2017
Spot rates in the major east-west trades ended 2017 on a high note.
26 Dec 2017
The third direct service supplements the carrier's CIMEX 6 and CIMEX 8 service.
22 Dec 2017
There was no movement in Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean rates this week as the holiday season begins.
18 Dec 2017
The impact of mega-ships and consolidation will see the alliances needing to revise their network offerings in 2018, creating new uncertainty for shippers already concerned at potentially large numbers of canceled sailings.
15 Dec 2017
The rate increases announced by several carriers may not have lifted rates by much, but they at least have prevented a slide deep in the low season.
11 Dec 2017
The Asia-Europe trade has seen greater volume and higher rates this year, but the backhaul trade has outperformed its larger headhaul counterpart.
08 Dec 2017
Rates from China to the United States fell this week with ample capacity on the trade and demand starting to weaken.
06 Dec 2017
Maersk transports roughly 20 percent of India’s total containerized cargo.
01 Dec 2017
Spot rates from China to Europe strengthened this week, but the surplus capacity in the trade and the reluctance of carriers to blank sailings will likely limit any sharp increases in the run up to Chinese New Year.
30 Nov 2017
The opening of the Turkmenbashi seaport in Turkmenistan gives shippers interested in using China-Europe rail one more routing option.
29 Nov 2017
European shippers can realize inventory cost and transit times savings via Mediterranean routings.
24 Nov 2017
The post peak-season slump has continued for trans-Pacific spot rates, while Asia-Europe market prices flattened out this week.
17 Nov 2017
Spot rates on Asia-Europe continue their weak season decline despite carrier efforts to raise prices.
14 Nov 2017
Hamburg's HHLA is the latest Europe port to post a strong increase in container throughput with 2017 shaping up as a good year.
10 Nov 2017
Rates on Asia-Europe were back in decline this week, and the market fundamentals make it unlikely that prices will increase much before Chinese New Year.
06 Nov 2017
Analysts continue to highlight the lack of canceled sailings that will leave carriers facing increasingly severe overcapacity as new vessels sail into service and undermine their contract negotiating position.
03 Nov 2017
Rate increases across the east-west trades in early November could only give container transport prices an incremental bump upwards.
