Supply Chain Research

A ‘zillion’ calls and $20,000 – Container shipping rate update, June 2021

June 30, 2021

Container shipping rates for routes out of Asia hit record highs in June as a result of disruptions to exports from southern China which exacerbated a shortage of equipment in the region and cost knock-on congestion at other ports in the region. S&P Global Platts’s Freight All Kinds (basic) ra... Read more →

Back into the void – S&P Global Platts container update, May 2021

June 1, 2021

Global container shipping markets became progressively tighter during May as a result of: continued demand growth; logistics delays at ports; the long-tail impact of the closure of the Suez Canal in March; and continued mispositioning of empty containers due to earlier trade flows. The resulta... Read more →

Ripples across the pond – S&P Global Platts container update, April 2021

May 5, 2021

Global container shipping markets were beset by equipment shortages, port congestion and delays in April as a result of continued, elevated demand as well as the ripple effect of the Suez Canal blockage in March. The elevated demand situation can be seen in Southeast Asia to North America ship... Read more →

Contracting for shipping, shipping not contracting – S&P Global Platts container update, March 2021

April 6, 2021

The global container freight market continued to face imbalances in March after an unseasonal demand cycle which saw container throughput at Chinese ports climb 37.9% year over year in February and U.S. seaborne imports per day increase 13.0% higher than the prior three months’ average in Marc... Read more →

Q2 2021 Outlook: Words become actions, threats going nowhere

March 31, 2021

The seeds of the challenges faced by global supply chains in Q1’21 were sown in the second half of 2020 and are unlikely to unwind before the end of Q2’21. Global trade activity remains robust, with exports from 17 countries that have reported data for February showing growth of 6.2% excluding... Read more →

A little off the top – S&P Global Platts container update, February 2021

March 2, 2021

The container shipping industry continues to face elevated demand and port congestion which appear to offer little respite from elevated shipping rates. The challenges have moved on from being focused on Transpacific routes with shipments to the U.S. from India, for example, having faced a dou... Read more →

Looking peaky – S&P Global Platts container update, January 2021

February 2, 2021

Container shipping rates from North Asia to the U.K. hit an all time high this month of $10,000 / forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) after rising 285% since the end of November on elevated demand and equipment imbalances. The practice of shipping only empty containers back to Asia to alleviate l... Read more →

Early Christmas, lasting challenges – S&P Global Platts container update, December 2020

January 7, 2021

Global container shipping rates continued their dizzying ascent in December, S&P Global Platts data shows. There was a mixture of continued demand strength, with U.S. seaborne imports of containerized freight rising by 22.1% year over year, and equipment shortages. Together those factors drove... Read more →

Buried containers, Brexit stockpiling – S&P Global Platts container update, November 2020

December 1, 2020

Container shipping rates continued their heady ascent in November. Rapidly building congestion on major shipping routes and at many ports is the result of surging demand for both consumer and industrial products, hinting that a post-holiday slowdown may not occur. An emerging shortage of conta... Read more →

Crest of the wave – S&P Global Platts container update, October 2020

November 5, 2020

Global demand for container shipping services remains strong, but not by as much as the industry may have expected. U.S. seaborne imports climbed 16.2% year over year in October, though the North Asia to U.S. east coast container shipping rate dropped by $150 per forty-foot equivalent units to... Read more →

Supply Chain Research

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