The rapid growth of charter rates in the container shipping market is likely to be over as ocean carriers release some ships back to the open market in order to curb the impact of weak profitability.
China-Europe air cargo rates expected to rise despite unexpected dip
Airfreight rates on services from China to Europe are expected to pick up during the summer and beat last year’s levels during the fourth-quarter peak. The first airfreight rate forward curve from derivatives broker Freight Investor Services (FIS) shows that for August the sector is making paper deals with an average value of $2.85 per […]
NRF: U.S. Imports to Set New Record as Tariffs Take Effect
Imports at the major retail container ports in the U.S. are expected to set a new record this month driven by increasing consumer demand and rising retail sales, the National Retail Federation said.
IATA: April sees fuel prices pick up and load factors decline
The latest Airlines Financial Monitor from IATA indicates that cargo load factors have dropped back to levels last seen at the start of 2017. Across the air cargo industry, the freight load factor fell 0.5% in April compared to the same month of 2017. Capacity (available freight tonne-km, AFTK) increased 5.1% year on year in […]
Capacity concerns drive up long-term air cargo charters
Confidence in the air cargo market and concern over tight capacity at peak periods is keeping charter operators busy, with the carriers reporting a rise in first-quarter business and renewed interest from forwarders in signing longer-term charter contracts. (This article requires a subscription to the Journal of Commerce. To subscribe, please click on the above […]
Ocean Cargo Update: Reversal of Fortune for Rates?
There are some signs that the ocean carrier industry is moving towards a recovery from overcapacity and low freight rates, say some leading experts. But even the most optimistic forecast comes with more than a few caveats.
Port Tracker says import records could be broken in the summer months
Records for United States-bound retail container shipments could be broken this summer, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report issued by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.
Serious business growth for air cargo in April
There was “serious business growth” for air cargo in April after fluctuating performance during the first three months of the year. Analyst WorldACD said that the cargo volumes increased by 4% in April, compared with a 4.8% improvement during the first quarter, when the Chinese New Year had its usual distorting effect on monthly comparisons […]
Container Lines Battle Shippers Over Bunker Surcharges
Several of the world’s largest container shipping companies have imposed emergency bunker surcharges upon their customers in the past two weeks, seeking to claw back revenues lost to rising fuel bills caused by the jump in crude prices in recent months. France’s CMA CGM announced a $55/TEU surcharge for dry cargo, Israel-based ZIM introduced surcharges […]
Airfreight traffic growth back on track in April
Airfreight traffic growth was back on track in April after an “abrupt” slowdown in performance during March. The latest figures from IATA show that freight tonne kms (FTK) increased by 4.1% in April, compared with a “sharp fall” in growth during March to 1.8% – a 23-month low. The end of the restocking cycle, poor […]