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全球海运运力再次紧张

2024-05-27 20:27阅读:
全球海运运力再次紧张
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.

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