 Space on box ships out of Asia now going, going, gone-to the highest bidder |
Source |
American Shipper |
Post Date |
01/29/2021 |
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Major forwarders are engaged in fierce bidding wars in China, in order to secure equipment and space.
And several carriers are reported to have ed first- and second-round ters with the highest bidders for guaranteed shipment this month.
According to Chinese forwarder contacts, carriers are inviting offers for available slots on -January sailings from Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao and Yantian, with all-in bids below $16,000 per 40ft H/C for the UK and $10,500 for Rotterdam, Antwerp and Le Havre unlikely to be successful.
Most forwarding contacts The Loadstar spoke to this week said they expected rates from Asia to Europe to fall after the China¡¯s new year holiday, which s on 12 February, especially as carriers have, so far, this year untypically blanked very few sailings. However, nobody is predicting a crash.
Another source told The Loadstar he had been told by a Rotterdam-based contact that carriers expect the high rates to continue until August ¨C ¡°so shipping lines can profit from Christmas stock that normally departed during June/July¡±.
Moreover, shippers hoping to secure much cheaper deals for annual contracts are in for a shock, in terms of the new deals that will be offered by their carriers, which are at present unsurprisingly reluctant to even negotiations.
¡°These come in the form of premium space protection guarantee ges, which are another $2,500 to $3,000 a box¡± he said. ¡°And in the case of one carrier, the cancellation fee requires a payment of ocean freight plus premium ges.¡±
Meanwhile, there is seemingly no let-up in the volume of imports destined for US ports. According to Los Angeles Signal port optimiser data, manifested cargo due on vessels scheduled to arrive next week, at 177,235 teu, is 102% higher than the same week of last year, with the following week set to be 94% higher, year on year, at 143,72
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