Mediterranean shipping has verbally informed that it will not raise prices for the time being

Recently, Mediterranean Shipping (MSC) has verbally informed the freight forwarder that it will maintain the current US line freight rate until April 14th. The industry believes that MSC, as the largest shipping company in the world, has a market share of nearly 20%, which may be hoped to improve the loading rate and grab the supply of goods through this action.

The shipping industry had expected a wave of shipments after the resumption of work in the next year and a rise in freight rates by the end of March. However, this expectation did not materialize. As freight rates are relatively high compared with the same period last year, further increases are difficult. According to the quotations of several freight forwarders, the current freight rate per 40-foot container on the US-West Line is about 3,000-3,200 US dollars.

Despite this, Maersk, another shipping giant, has dropped its offer to $2,800 at the end of March, with the condition of canceling the fee of $200, which shows that the freight rate of the US-West route is keeping the $3,000 mark.

The industry generally believes that although the market has resumed work in an all-round way, inflation in Europe and America has not dropped significantly, and interest rates are still high, which continues to affect consumption capacity. At present, the market volume is not enough to support freight rates, which leads to a downward trend in freight rates after the year.

Judging from the current market situation, it is still difficult to change this situation in the first half of April. It is expected that the freight rate will be flat or slightly revised, and the rebound of market demand will be the key factor to determine the freight rate trend.

国际海运公司地中海航运已口头通知暂不涨价

       近日，地中海航运(MSC)已口头通知货代，将维持当前美线运价至4月14日。业界认为，MSC作为全球运力最大的船公司，市占率近20%，可能是希望通过此举提高装载率并抢夺货源。

       航运业原本期待年后的复工能带来一波出货效应，并在3月底实现运价上涨。然而，这一期望并未实现。由于当前运价较去年同期处于相对高位，进一步上涨的难度较大。根据多家货代的报价，目前美西线每40尺柜运价约为3000-3200美元。

       尽管如此，另一航运巨头马士基在3月底的报价已经降至2800美元，并附带有取消费用200美元的条件，显示出美西航线运价正在险守3000美元关口。

       业界普遍认为，尽管市场已全面复工，但欧美通胀仍未明显下降、利率依然高企，持续影响着消费能力。目前市场货量不足以支撑运价，导致年后运价出现下滑趋势。

       从当前市场状况来看，4月上半月恐怕仍难以改变这一局面。预计运价极有可能持平或小幅修正，而市场需求的回升将成为决定运价走势的关键因素。