Source: Market average rates for 40‘ containers according to www.xeneta.com
Trade Analysis: Far East Westbound
Situation
November saw a continuation of the positive trend in volumes, with some pre-Chinese New Year (CNY) rush shipments. Rates increased on a weekly basis, with a stabilization only seen towards the end of November. However, December is expected to see a further increase in rates with a tight space situation that will last until at least mid-January.
Obstacles
Schedule reliability will remain under pressure and we may see some disruption due to the upcoming alliance changes from February 2025.
Outlook/Solutions
Volumes will remain strong into CNY and we do not expect any significant rate reductions until then. Some customers will bring forward some of their shipments ahead of CNY, also due to the upcoming alliance changes, which could lead to reliability issues. We also expect to see more blank sailings due to the upcoming changes.