General

Since the beginning of this year, global container shipping prices have been rising. On the 10th, the Global Container Freight Index showed that the shipping price from China, Southeast Asia to the east coast of North America exceeded US$20,000 per TEU for the first time. On August 2, the figure was still $16,000. What is driving the significant increase in shipping prices between China and the United States?

US$20,000 per TEU, China-U.S. shipping prices hit a record high

Industry insiders told reporters that the sharp rise in the global container freight index in a short period of time is actually related to changes in calculation methods.

Experts told reporters that in the past month, many major global shipping companies such as Maersk, Mediterranean, Hapag-Lloyd, etc., have successively increased or increased a number of surcharges in the name of peak season surcharges and destination port congestion charges. This is also the recent shipping The key to sharp price increases. In addition to the global container freight index, the latest Shanghai export container freight index was 4,225.86, which also hit a record high under the premise that the calculation caliber has not changed.

Zhong Zhechao, head of an international logistics company in Shenzhen, Guangdong: The actual freight rates in the market are divided into two types, one is the Clippers, and some are like the previous Clippers of Mason, which have exceeded US$20,000 per TEU in the West of the United States; the West of the United States is normal. For some slow boats, it will probably be between US$15,000 and US$20,000.

Not long ago, the Ministry of Transport also stated that with the spread of the overseas epidemic, serious congestion has continued to occur in ports in the United States, Europe and other places since the fourth quarter of 2020, which has caused chaos in the international logistics supply chain and reduced efficiency, resulting in large-scale delays in ship schedules. , Which seriously affects operational efficiency. This year, the shortage of international shipping capacity and rising freight rates have become a global problem.

Shipping prices rose sharply, exports of foreign trade companies stagnated for a while

In July, my country's import and export of goods trade increased by 11.5% over the same period last year, and foreign trade continued to improve. However, the ever-rising freight rates and the “hard to find a box” have put a lot of pressure on my country’s foreign trade companies. How to deal with it?

The reporter learned from a number of foreign trade companies that with the increase in shipping prices, the sales pressure of foreign trade companies continues to increase.

Zhong Sheming, a furniture trader in Foshan, Guangdong: Especially since June and July, our entire shipments have decreased by more than 40%. It turned out that I finished 3,000 sets, and finally only shipped more than 1,000 sets, and the remaining 1,000 sets are still in the warehouse. Because the freight is too expensive, customers will not pay, and now most of the customers' orders have been suspended.

Industry insiders analyzed that in the first seven months of this year, Sino-US trade reached 2.62 trillion yuan, an increase of 28.9% year-on-year, which was much higher than the overall increase in imports and exports. This has also become an important reason for the significant increase in shipping prices between China and the United States.

From January to April this year, the capacity of the route from Mainland China to North America West increased by 81% and 36% compared with the same period in 2020 and 2019 respectively, and the volume increased by 103% and 53% compared with the same period in 2020 and 2019 respectively. In July, Ningbo Zhoushan Port added 4 ocean-going routes again, and the total number of routes reached a record high. Yantian Port, which is dominated by European and American routes, also added 2 American routes.