全球海运运力再次紧张
2024-05-27 20:27阅读:

Short- and long-term market rates for 40-foot equivalent units from
East Asia to the U.S.
航运旺季开始、货轮为避开红海选择更长航线、亚洲遭遇恶劣天气等因素都冲击了主要航线的贸易量。为保证货物正常交付,海运企业选择跳过一些港口或缩短泊港时间,而且不接收空箱。
就在供应链成本问题出现之际,与学生返校和假期相关的消费品恰好即将加入海运队伍。
挪威克塞内塔公司高级海运分析师埃米莉·斯泰于斯博尔说:“从远东地区到美国西海岸,即期运价将很可能超过今年早些时候红海危机最严重时期的水平,由此可见最近的涨价幅度有多大。”
克塞内塔公司的海运价格数据表明,即期运价正在反弹,且即期运价与长期运价的差距正在扩大。斯泰于斯博尔说:“长期运价和短期运价之间的差距越大,货物延误的风险就越高。据我们了解,这种情况已经发生。”
在2024年初红海紧张局势促使运价暴涨之后,即期运价已有所下跌。
但自4月底以来,在通往美国沿海地区的航线上,即期运价飙升,平均涨幅高达1500美元。现在,在海运公司收取的最高合同价中,有些已经是短短一个月前的两倍以上。
斯泰于斯博尔说,这会令人想起新冠疫情期间有效运力不足引发的混乱。她说:“与那时类似,一些货运代理商现在被迫收取溢价,以确保舱位。”
克塞内塔公司的初期数据显示,运价6月初将进一步上涨。
自今年1月以来,敦豪公司一直在警告可能出现集装箱短缺现象,因为自胡塞组织发动袭击以来,为避开红海,货船需要走更远的航线。集装箱在海上停留的时间延长,因此无法再装新货。由于恶劣天气影响了中国、马来西亚和新加坡的港口运营活动,集装箱利用率进一步下降。
许多物流专家
曾预测,在经历全球货运衰退后,集装箱和船舶运力足以处理供应链问题,这些问题涉及红海和饱受干旱折磨的巴拿马运河。但是,敦豪全球货运公司负责美洲海运业务的戈茨·阿莱布兰德告诉消费者新闻与商业频道,很多贸易航线上船舶的舱位满足不了市场需求。阿莱布兰德说:“从亚洲到拉丁美洲的航线、跨太平洋航线,以及从亚洲到欧洲的航线,都面临航运舱位有限的问题。”
弗雷托斯货运公司研究主管朱达·莱文说,今年3月和4月,海运公司设法利用闲置船只和其他航线的船只,协助弥补航程延长的影响,并维持集装箱运输,在大多数情况下遵守了每周出港计划。他说:“但是,这意味着市场上没有多余的运力。”
4月底,东亚的恶劣天气造成了一些进一步的延误,这是导致海运公司跳过一些港口或缩短目的地港中转时长以节省时间的因素之一。
海运拒单量的上升显示了这种失衡。
莱文说:“最近,中国出口离港需求增加,加上运回的空集装箱数量下降,意味着海运公司开始发现在部分出口枢纽很难找到空置设备。尽管需求水平并不是极高,但鉴于船舶运力已很紧张,最近的需求增长仍足以推高运价,再加上集装箱不足,只会进一步推高运价。”
在最新一轮暴涨之前,海运价格今年早些时候已经触及过高位。当时的价格是一年前的两倍。
综合运价定于6月1日进行新一轮上调。元泰集团将运价上涨1000美元描述为,在需求突然增加的情况下,航运公司变得有点“贪婪”。
全球最大的海运公司地中海航运公司宣布,从5月15日至5月31日,运往美国海岸地区的40英尺(约合12米)集装箱的最新运价为8000美元到1万美元。
万海航运股份有限公司表示,它将收取额外的“舱位确保”费用。
Sudden container crunch sends ocean freight rates soaring,
setting off global trade alarm bells
Lori Ann LaRocco
KEY POINTS
-An ocean container capacity crunch has hit global trade just as
peak shipping season starts, with freight spot rates up some 30%
over the past few weeks and heading higher.
-Bad weather, longer ocean transits, and vessels skipping ports are
adding to the supply chain issues.
-Freight intelligence firm Xeneta is warning that rates could rise
through June, and the 'dramatic' rise will surpass the Red Sea
spike, ultimately hitting consumer prices.
A perfect storm in global trade is creating a shipping container
capacity crunch, fueling a sudden and surprise spike in ocean
freight rates.
The beginning of peak shipping season, coupled with the longer
transits to avoid the Red Sea, and bad weather in Asia, have hit
the flow of trade on key routes. Ocean carriers are skipping ports
or decreasing their time at port, and not picking up empty
containers, in an effort to keep vessels on track for
delivery.
The supply chain cost issues come at a time when consumer goods for
back to school and the holidays are set to be moved on the
water.
'From the Far East into the U.S. West Coast, it is likely spot
rates will surpass the level seen at the height of the Red Sea
crisis earlier this year, which demonstrates how dramatic the
recent increases have been,' said Emily Stausbøll, senior shipping
analyst at Xeneta.
Xeneta ocean freight rates show the rallying spot market and the
widening spread between spot and long-term rates. 'The bigger the
spread between long and short term rates, the greater the risk of
cargo being rolled, which we know is already happening,' she said.
Spot rates had fallen after the sharp rise triggered by Red Sea
tensions in early 2024, but since the end of April they began
spiking by as much as $1,500, on average, on routes to the U.S.
coasts, and now some of the highest contract rates charged by
shippers are over double the rates of just a month ago.
Stausbøll said this will bring back memories of the chaos caused by
lack of available capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'Similarly
to back then, some freight forwarders are now being pushed to
premium rates to secure space guarantees,' she said.
Early Xeneta data suggests rates will increase further at the start
of June.
DHL has been warning about about a container crunch since January
because of the longer routes needed to avoid the Red Sea since the
Houthi attacks began. Containers are out on the water longer and as
a result not available to be reloaded. The availability of
containers has been slowed even further by the bad weather
impacting port operations in China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Shipping capacity forecasts were off
Many logistics experts had forecast sufficient container and vessel
capacity after a global freight recession to handle the supply
chain issues, from the Red Sea to a drought-ridden Panama Canal.
But Goetz Alebrand, head of Ocean Freight Americas for DHL Global
Forwarding, tells CNBC that vessel space on many trade lanes is
insufficient to meet market demand. 'Trade lanes from Asia to Latin
America, Transpacific routes, and Asia to Europe are all
experiencing space constraints,' said Alebrand. 'These shortages
are affecting specific locations, some carriers, and certain types
of equipment.'
He cited a shortage of 40-foot containers at the Chinese port of
Chongqing last week. 'As high demand and longer transit times
continue, we are closely monitoring the situation to address any
potential challenges,' Alebrand said.
Judah Levine, Freightos' head of research, says that in March and
April, ocean carriers were able to use idle vessels as well as
ships from other lanes to help offset the longer voyages, keep
containers moving and for the most part keep to weekly departure
schedules. 'But this has meant there is no excess capacity in the
market,' he said.
Bad weather in East Asia at the end of April created some further
delays, which was one factor leading ocean carriers to skip some
port calls or shorten their turnaround at destination ports to make
up time. That also means fewer empty containers have been brought
back to China.
An increase in ocean freight rejections shows the imbalance.
'The recent increase in demand for exports out of China, together
with the dip in the number of repatriated empty containers, means
shippers are starting to find empty equipment hard to come by at
some export hubs,' Levine said. 'Even though demand levels are not
extremely high, with vessel capacity already stretched thin, the
recent increase in demand is enough to push rates up, and the added
lack of containers is only helping to push them up even
higher.'
Fear of new post-pandemic supply-chain cost record
This latest round of soaring ocean freight rates comes after a
previous high earlier in the year during which an 'elevator floor'
characterized by Levine of $3,000-$5,000 a container was set. At
that time, prices compared to a year ago were double.
Logistics price increases are ultimately passed onto the consumer
and the dizzying freight rates during the pandemic were among
factors cited by the Federal Reserve as a cause of inflation. In a
series of customer alerts, logistics providers are warning shippers
around the world, such as major retailers, of the container
shortage.
'Carriers are facing serious equipment shortage nowadays due to the
long-term congestion, blank sailings, demand increase caused by
South America tariff implementation and so on,' warned Orient Star
Group in a note to clients. 'Plenty of shipments are delayed by EQ
[equipment] shortage which lead to heavy backlogs, and as a result,
space shall get much tighter in the market. We're trying our best
to encourage the shippers to arrange empty container pick up as
early as possible to occupy the resource well in advance.'
A new round of general rate increases set for June 1 has Orient
Star Group characterizing the additional $1,000 charge as carriers
getting a bit 'greedy' under the sudden increased demand.
MSC, the world's largest ocean freight company, announced new rates
of $8,000 to $10,000 for 40-foot containers to the U.S. West Coast,
valid from May 15-May 31.
Wan Hai has said it will charge a premium for 'space
protection.'
According to an Honour Lane Shipping note to clients, the 'huge
rate increases' could push the market to a new post-pandemic high.
'While spot rates continue to soar, capacity out of Asia continues
to tighten,' HLS wrote to clients, and that has allowed carriers to
implement a 'diamond rate ... played during pandemic period,' it
added.
Citing the re-routing of ships around the Horn of Africa due to the
Red Sea issues accounts for 17% of global container shipping
capacity, and HLS warned the cancellation or blanking of ships will
only add to the pressure of soaring freight rates.
'Carriers have plenty of room to manipulate capacity,' wrote HLS,
noting that blank sailings increased in May and June.
Maritime shipping research firm Drewry has reported a total 17
sailings canceled on the Transpacific route between weeks 20 (this
week) and week 24 on the shipping calendar, and it has tracked
space available contracting 'seriously' to the U.S. East
Coast.
HLS said the headwinds will not improve any time soon with the U.S.
consumer economy still healthy. With 2024 retail sales in the U.S.
forecast at an increase between 2.5% and 3.5%, it expects the
current market trend and space situation will continue through June
at least.
'Regardless of what headlines about the economy might say,
consumers are shopping and retailers are making sure they have
merchandise on hand to meet demand,' said Jonathan Gold, vice
president for supply chain and customs policy at NRF. 'Re-stocking
may have just started,' he wrote.
The delays associated with the longer transits, container
shortages, and weather will only add to the headache of logistics
managers as they embark on an early pulling forward of freight for
the holidays and back-to-school season. The soaring rates come on
the heels of a period of tense negotiations in March between
shippers and clients over rates, which was fueled by the Red Sea
diversions and the impact of the longer transits.
Logistics managers told CNBC back in March they would be moving up
peak season from July to June to avoid any delays that could be a
result of a labor slowdown or strike at the East Coast or Gulf
ports in the fall. U.S. companies want to ensure their seasonal
items arrive early or on time so they can be available for
consumers. Late-arriving products would mean products would most
likely be sold at a discount. The frontloading of holiday and
back-to-school products was reconfirmed in CNBC's most recent
Supply Chain Survey.
The International Longshoremen's Association, which represents the
longshoremen working at the East Coast and Gulf ports, has a master
contract with the United States Maritime Alliance — which
represents terminal operators and ocean carriers — that is set to
expire Sept. 30, but a cutoff date of May 17 was set by the union
for the local contracts to be agreed to, so an overall master
contract can then be negotiated.
CNBC has learned there has been no update on the conclusion of
local negotiations nor are there any details of any tentative
agreements. The ILA and USMX announced they would likely schedule
face to face meetings after the conclusion of local talks.
Negotiations for the six-year contract officially began in
February.