General

Everyone who does foreign trade knows very well that since June last year, the global shortage of containers, exploded containers, dumped containers, and crazy freight price increases have never ceased, and they are becoming more and more intense. The prices of many routes have been increasing. It has exceeded 14,000 US dollars, and if you want to ensure a successful booking, you must pay a price higher than the market price!

The previous closure of the Suez Canal (emergency! The entire line was paralyzed! Fully loaded with Chinese goods! Had called at Yantian, Ningbo, Qingdao and other ports! The large container ship EVER GIVEN ran aground and closed the line, or the freight rate surged again), further exacerbating the shortage Container and port congestion problems, coupled with strong overseas demand, have further stimulated the skyrocketing of ocean freight!

The shipping supply chain is like a very complex network, any link interruption may have a chain reaction. Faced with the continuously skyrocketing ocean freight, many shippers are hesitant to look for other viable alternatives, and China-Europe Express will not let it be the first choice!

According to a CCTV news report, in a warehousing company that specializes in providing transit services for containers, many container trucks filled with cargo are entering the factory area and preparing for unloading. The person in charge told reporters that their company's main profit comes from the loading and unloading of containerized goods, but now the goods can't get in or out, and they occupy space, making the company almost unable to operate normally.

Shi Xiaofei, General Manager of Shanghai Lianqiao Logistics Development Co., Ltd.:

It seems that the storage capacity is very full, but our efficiency is about 80% lower than before the epidemic. If there is no space, it means that the container has not been allocated, that is, it cannot be shipped. The (cargo) may have to be stored for ten and a half months, or even longer. If this situation continues, it is possible that our warehouse will not be able to operate normally.

At present, problems such as congestion in foreign ports and low loading and unloading efficiency have caused the on-time rate of container ships to drop from the usual 70% to the current 20%.

The United States (port time) is 7 to 8 days, and Europe is similar. Shanghai Port is a bit better, 2 to 2.5 days, so the space is tight, and it is hard to find a box. The difficulty of finding one cabin and the difficulty of finding one box have also caused the freight rates of various main routes to rise sharply.

Take Shanghai and Los Angeles as an example. At that time (before the epidemic), the freight might be 1500 (US dollars) to 2000 (US dollars) for a 40-foot standard container. Now it is necessary to get a certain space and a certain box, and the cost may be about At 5000 (USD) or even 6000 (USD).

The data shows that as of May 14, the spot market freight rate on European routes was 5438 U.S. dollars, up 16.2% from last week, and the spot market rate on West American routes was 4839 U.S. dollars, up 5% from last week. The market freight rate was US$7378, an increase of 4.9% from last week. This is only the basic freight rate, and the freight rate that the shipper needs to pay in the end is often much higher.

The rising trend of shipping prices has not stopped. At present, many shipping companies have issued further price increases announcements. For this reason, many foreign trade companies have begun to try to use the China-Europe Express to transport goods to reduce the impact of shipping freight and increased timeliness.

Some people in the industry said that as long as the difference between the China-Europe Express and sea freight is less than US$1,000, everyone will use the China-Europe Express. The faster the goods go out, the less funds they have to advance.

What do you think for this?