Supply Chain Research

The easing of COVID-19 linked lockdown measures has helped improve demand for container shipping services, though void / cancelled sailings are still vital for protecting the level of freight rates. Global average shipping rates increased by 8.3% at the end of May versus the end of April. Rates for shipping on Asia-Europe lanes are diverging between liners as firms seek to boost their market share. Rates for North Asia to U.K. increased by 8.2% sequentially but there’s a 37.5% gap between the highest and lowest quoted rates for the routes. That’s led to increased vessel utilization but a...