Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the shipping industry has been experiencing wave after wave of impacts. Soaring freight rates and record-breaking congestion are taking turns.
Liner congestion has spread around the world, with 101 ports reporting congestion and 304 ships queuing up for berths
According to container shipping platform Seaexplorer, as of last Friday, there were 304 ships waiting for berths in front of ports around the world, and 101 ports reported congestion and other disruptions.
(Red dots represent clusters of ships, orange dots represent ports with congestion or disrupted operations)
Nearly In recent weeks, China’s southern ports have been affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, and congestion in important export areas is spreading to other important hubs. Taking Singapore as an example, the number of container ships waiting for berths has increased by 37.5% in the past week.
“The trend is worrying and constant congestion is becoming a global problem. Due to the epidemic and the huge increase in freight volumes since the end of last year, terminals are becoming bottlenecks around the world, regardless of Whether it’s at the berth, in the yard or being turned away, this situation continues throughout the logistics chain,” Maersk said.
At the end of May, some operations at Yantian Port were closed due to the epidemic, and blank navigation data at major ports in Shenzhen (including Yantian) surged.
Between June 1 and June 15, 298 container ships with a total capacity of more than 3 million TEU passed through Shenzhen. The number of blank flights increased by 300% in one month. Exports The number of containers has created a serious backlog.
Asia-Europe container freight rates increased more than 12 times, reaching a record high!
Maersk warned that the U.S. online peak season may start earlier this year as retailers prepare for a strong back-to-school season, which may overlap with the summer vacation season. .
Freight rates are likely to remain high for the rest of the year. At present, some shipping companies have announced that they will impose peak season surcharges from July.
At the same time, due to the increasing number of ships queuing up, jumping ports, and stranded containers at South China ports, shipping companies have imposed port congestion surcharges on goods passing through Yantian Port ( PCS).
In addition, container freight rates from Asia to Europe hit a record high on June 15, as export hubs across Asia experienced delays due to ongoing bottlenecks at Yantian Port, according to S&P Global Platts Container Rate 1 shows that container freight rates from Asia to the Nordic continent rose by US$5,000/FEU last week and soared to US$17,000/FEU, a record high; higher than US$1,375/FEU a year ago, an increase of more than 12 times.
Maersk CEO: Charge a fuel tax of US$450/ton!
Maersk CEO Søren Skou recently stated that in order to accelerate the globalization of zero-carbon fuels, the shipping industry should impose a fuel tax of at least US$450/ton, which is equivalent to A carbon tax of approximately US$150 is levied on each ton of carbon dioxide emitted.
If estimated based on the current fuel price in the market, the fuel cost after the tax increase will double.
In terms of specific implementation, Maersk said that price increases will be carried out in a gradual transitional manner. Take a carbon tax, for example, which could start at about $50/ton and increase to at least $150/ton in subsequent years.
It is reported that the proposal will be discussed at a meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee. </p
