Since the second half of last year, soaring foreign trade freight has made no money box people, we have not received, if the goods do not have to. In the weeks leading up to 2021, various routes exported from Chinese ports are still on the rise.

Finally, foreign traders saw the dawn of a little bit of price reduction this week-on January 22, 2021, the Shanghai Container Freight Index (SCFI) showed that the composite index fell by 16.05 points to 2868.95 points for the first time in three months, compared with the previous week. It fell by 0.6%.

In general, China’s export container shipping market was generally stable this week, with transportation demand remaining at a relatively high level. The ocean freight rates fell after continuous surges, and the composite index fell slightly, but remained at a relatively high level.

>>Europe routes:

On January 22, the freight rate (sea freight and ocean freight surcharge) for exports from Shanghai to the European basic port market was 4394 US dollars/TEU, down 0.4% from the previous period.

>>Mediterranean route:

On January 22, the freight rate (sea freight and ocean freight surcharges) for exports from Shanghai to the Mediterranean basic port market was 4296 USD/TEU , which was the same as the previous period.

>>North American routes:

On January 22, the freight rates (sea freight and ocean freight surcharges) of Shanghai exports to the basic ports of the West and East US markets were 3,995 USD/FEU and 4,750 USD/FEU, respectively, down 1.5% and 1.0% from the previous period.

>>South American routes:

On January 22, the freight rate (sea freight and ocean freight surcharge) for exports from Shanghai to the basic port market in South America was US$8,870/TEU, down 0.4% from the previous period.

>>Persian Gulf route:

On January 22, the freight rate (sea freight and ocean freight surcharge) for exports from Shanghai to the basic port of the Persian Gulf was US$1934/TEU, down 2.4% from the previous period.

>>Australia and New Zealand routes:

On January 22, the freight rate (sea freight and ocean freight surcharge) for exports from Shanghai to the Australian and New Zealand basic port market was US$2,406/TEU, which was the same as the previous period.

>>Japan route:

The market freight rate dropped slightly. On January 22, the freight index of China's export to Japan route was 837.75 points.

According to data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange’s weekly report, on January 22, the average loading rate of ships in Shanghai Port on European and Mediterranean routes remained above 95%, and some flights were shipped fully loaded; the average loading rate of ships in Shanghai Port on West and East US routes was close to full load. level.

According to Alphaliner's data, since June 2020, more than 2.2 million TEUs of idle capacity have resumed operations, and more than 600,000 TEUs of new ships have been delivered, increasing the effective supply; in 2021, more than 1.1 million new ships will still be delivered. The above-mentioned investment of nearly 4 million capacity will gradually ease the pressure. In response to the situation of land closure, aviation interruption, and shortage of transportation capacity caused by the epidemic, powerful liner companies are also using a series of new models such as "land to water", "land to iron", "iron to water", and "air to water" to open up the supply chain. Stop blocking points, connect upstream and downstream industries, and go all out to ensure the smooth flow of the global supply chain.

As of the end of December 2020, the weekly capacity of the trans-Pacific route market has approached 530,000 TEU, an increase of about 25.6% year-on-year, and has reached a historical peak. Not only the trans-Pacific route, but the capacity of other routes is also accelerating recovery to supply the demand market.

In addition, the lack of cabinets seems to have eased.

According to the latest data from Container XChange, a container monitoring agency, the equipment shortage thathas lasted for several months is expected to end. The current Shanghai’s 20-foot and 40-foot container indexes have increased to 0.34 and 0.37 respectively (Note: an index of 0.5 indicates market balance, lower than 0.5 indicates a shortage of containers).

This value indicates that the availability of empty containers has increased significantly from last month's index of 0.13 (40 feet). Although the latest data in January is far below 0.5 and there is still a shortage of equipment, the data has begun to approach the normal level of container shortages in China's main export markets.

Chinese factories have begun to vigorously produce containers in the second half of last year. The output of standard dry cargo containers increased by 100% in August 2020 compared with July. In September, it continued to increase to nearly 300,000 TEU. Continuing to maintain high output in November. Coupled with the vigorous deployment of empty containers by shipping companies, the Chinese New Year may become a turning point.

Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea Intelligence, a shipping consulting company, said:

"Currently, the number of suspended voyages for the Chinese New Year in 2021 is much lower than in previous years. In previous years, container shipping companies usually suspend 37-41 voyages on the Asia-Western US route and 12-15 voyages on the Asia-Eastern US route. During the three weeks of the Lunar New Year, the capacity during the period will be greatly reduced, and the trans-Pacific region will have to cancel another 48 to 56 voyages. On the Asia-Northern Europe route, 14-17 voyages must be cancelled to keep the same as the previous data. On the Asia-Mediterranean route, 4-6 voyages must be cancelled. It is not yet possible to predict the most accurate suspension of the service, but it is clear that the current schedule of suspension of the voyage by the shipping company is far less than in previous years. "

(This article is organized from Focus Vision, and the source must be indicated for reprinting)