Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI)

China backhaul costs mirror headhaul rate shifts

Rates on the Europe to Asia trades have mirrored headhaul trades with China’s import cargo paying more for carriage since the Red Sea crisis hit the industry in December.

At the end of last year, eastbound cargo out of European ports of origin was US$303/FEU, in January, as in the headhaul trade, rates started to climb as carriers diverted around the Cape, peaking at US$1,066/FEU on 1 February according to Xeneta, which shows rates on the slide again, now down to US$866/FEU.

“These developments...

https://container-news.com/china-backhaul-costs-mirror-headhaul-rate-shifts/

Blank sailings boost NCFI

The composite Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) quoted 622.2 points in Week 41, which improved 4.8% from the previous week and has remained on an upward trend for two back-to-back weeks.

More specifically, spot rates for container exports from Ningbo-Zhoushan surged as shipping lines made blank sailings to reduce capacity during the National Day Golden Week.

On the 21 trade routes to which the individual NCFIs are applied, the indices increased on 15 and decreased on the remaining six....

https://container-news.com/blank-sailings-boost-ncfi/

Ningbo Containerized Freight Index Weekly Commentary

Credit: manda-hansen–unsplash

Ningbo Containerized Freight Index Dips 2.6%: NCFI records 735.7 points in the week ending Aug-4, with 7 routes ascending and 14 declining among the selected 21 routes. Meanwhile, 2 ports along the Maritime Silk Road show consistent growth while 14 witness a decrease in freight indices. The xindemarinenews source.

Europe and Mediterranean routes:

The freight rate of the route was unilaterally pushed up by the carriers last week, but the market volume was not enough...

https://mfame.guru/ningbo-containerized-freight-index-weekly-commentary-3/

Asia-USWC spot rates spike as Chinese New Year holiday looms

Container spot rates from Asia to the US west coast spiked this week, ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday on 1 February.
Drewry’s WCI US west coast component put on 5%, to $11,197 per 40ft, while the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX), which includes an element of premium fees, gained 3.5%, to $15,139.
For the US east coast, there were mixed messages from the spot indices, with the WCI up 2% on the …

The post Asia-USWC spot rates spike as Chinese New Year holiday looms appeared first on The Loadstar.

https://theloadstar.com/asia-uswc-spot-rates-spike-as-chinese-new-year-holiday-looms/

‘Stick or twist’ – do shippers play the spot market or go for fixed-rate contracts?

Volume shippers offered new long-term fixed-rate contracts by container lines are, nevertheless, still keen to keep a foot in the door of the spot market.
The extreme volatility of the spot market saw many shippers get their fingers badly burned over the past 18 months as rates were turbocharged by supply constraints and strong consumer demand.
But if port congestion eases and demand softens, short-term market rates could head south again quite …

The post ‘Stick or twist’ – do shippers play the...

https://theloadstar.com/stick-or-twist-do-shippers-play-the-spot-market-or-go-for-fixed-rate-contracts/

Major freight indexes hit new record-highs on the last day of the year

Two major freight indexes, SCFI and NCFI, reached record-high figures on the last day of the previous year, which was marked by skyrocketing container freight rates.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) has surpassed the US$5,000/TEU mark for the first time in history on 31 December of 2021.

The index, which reflects the ocean freight surcharges of individual shipping routes from Shanghai, launched in October 2009 and on the last day of 2021 reported a record-high US$5,046.66/TEU.

SCFI’s...

https://container-news.com/major-freight-indexes-hit-new-record-highs-on-the-last-day-of-the-year/

Chinese Ports’ container volumes rise 7.6% up to November

The container throughput of Chinese ports for the period between January and November of 2021 stood at 259.7 million TEU, which translates to an increase of 7.6%, compared to the same period of the previous year.

Regarding the cargo volume of Chinese ports, it was 14,207.6 million tons, elevated by 7.2% year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China.

The chart below shows the container and cargo throughput data of the eight major ports in China, for the...

https://container-news.com/chinese-ports-container-volumes-rise-7-6-up-to-november/

Forwarders ‘fear the worst’ and ‘don’t have a clue’ on shipping rates next year

Container spot rates are edging up again across most tradelanes, with a big spike expected in January ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday.
According to today’s Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI), 15 of its 21 routes recorded modest increases against a continuing backdrop of tight capacity.
And from Asia to North Europe, Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) was flat, at $13,564 per 40ft, the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) ticked up 1%, …

The post Forwarders ‘fear the worst’ and ‘don’t have...

https://theloadstar.com/forwarders-fear-the-worst-and-dont-have-a-clue-on-shipping-rates-next-year/

Ports in China see significant growth in box volumes during 2021

China ports have registered noteworthy increases in container volumes during the period between January and September.

The container throughput of China ports has reached 211 million TEU, representing a significant growth of 9.5% compared to the first nine months of the previous year.

During the same period, the cargo volume of China ports completed 11,548.4 million tons in total, which translates to a year-on-year increase of 8.9%

The following chart shows the cargo and container throughput data...

https://container-news.com/ports-in-china-see-significant-growth-in-box-volumes-during-2021/

Freight rates continue global upward trend

Freight rates continue to rise globally due to several factors, such as the container shortage and the economic pull of the United States, according to the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV).

In particular, the high demand for maritime transport in combination with the lack of empty containers, the shortage of capacity and equipment, the price of fuels, the problems of co-determination, the traffic increase and the congestion in several ports of the world, are the main factors for this continued...

https://container-news.com/freight-rates-continue-global-upward-trend/

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