Long-term ocean freight rates may have started bottoming out after around a year of persistent, often dramatic monthly falls, says Xeneta in its latest update.<\/p>\n
“The latest General Rates Increases (GRIs) from carriers appear to have held relatively firm, pushing spot rates up above long-term rates on key corridors. As such, long-term prices may now follow suit and rally, meaning now is the time for cost-conscious shippers to assess strategies and negotiate new contracts.”<\/p>\n
Looking at the key Far East to North Europe trade lane, Xeneta\u2019s real-time data shows that, even though spot rates have fallen by around $100 per FEU since early August\u2019s GRIs, they are still around a third higher than prices in early July, the update added. “This is in contrast to GRI moves earlier this year, which largely failed to influence a market hamstrung by weak demand and rampant over capacity.”<\/p>\n
Emily Stausb\u00f8ll, an analyst at Xeneta, says: \u201cThis is a definite, eye-catching change, and shippers should view this as a bit of a wake-up call.\u201d<\/p>\n