The Baltic Briefing has released a report about the freightos baltic container of the 8th week of shipping activities of this year. The report highlights the plight of the container market at the on-sight of the 8th week.
Prices bounce back
- Following Chinese New Year, transpacific ocean prices are back to where they were at the beginning of the year.
- At $2,009, China-West Coast prices are just $6 higher than on January 6. At $3,110, China-East Coast prices are $27 lower.
- Demand seasonally drops after Chinese New Year and freight prices take a tumble.
- China-West Coast prices dropped 25%, East Coast 22%, in the three weeks following last year’s holiday. In 2017, those same dips were 17% and 12%, respectively.
This week’s report
| Week 07 | Week 06 | Last year* | |
| Global | $1,570 | 3% | 19% |
| China – US West Coast | $2,009 | 0% | 42% |
| China – US East Coast | $3,110 | -2% | 13% |
| China – North Europe | $1,723 | 2% | 0% |
| * Compared to the corresponding week in 2018 | |||
Low rates
- With China still returning to work after the Spring Festival holiday, China-West Coast prices did not move a cent last week.
- Carriers canceled their mid-month General Rate Increases (GRIs), and new prices coming in this week are at lower rates.
Carriers fare better
- Carriers are still a lot better off (42% better off) than this time last year when China-West Coast stood at $1,442.
- Blank sailings this month, including 2M’s last-minute addition of another ship on the AE10/Swan loop, may help cushion the fall a little bit.
- Another cushion, that will likely have more impact mid-year, is the probable increase in ship demolitions, spurred by IMO’s new sulphur emissions regulations.
- Carriers have devised different surcharge structures to help recoup costs incurred by those new regulations.
- That will complicate current Beneficial Cargo Owner (BCO) annual contract negotiations on the transpacific lane.
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Source: The Baltic Briefing
