Recently, the freight rate of the ocean route market has continued to fall, but the risk of a strike at the US East Port is intensifying, which may trigger a new round of price increases. According to the freight forwarding manager, two warehouses of a well-known e-commerce platform in United States have been seriously liquidated, exacerbating market concerns.
International logistics companies have synchronized the current situation and related suggestions of the strike incident to customers. Some direct shipping companies have announced additional congestion charges for vessels arriving after Oct. 1, ranging from US$1,000 to US$3,000 per container. At the same time, some shipping companies choose to cancel the original route in the east of the United States and call at the west of the United States or the United States and China instead.
According to the data on September 27, the freight rate of Shanghai port exports to the basic ports of the West and East of the United States fell by 9.2% and 13.3% respectively. Against the backdrop of weak demand, airlines are imposing additional congestion charges in response to potential strikes and as a conscious "price booster". However, the actual collection remains to be seen.
Shipping companies are giving early warning of possible freight rate changes caused by the impending strike in the eastern part of the United States. A number of shipping lines have announced that they will impose destination surcharges and interruption surcharges in mid-or late October to cover the costs of possible emergencies.
According to the latest news released by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) in United States, 85,000 members of the union are scheduled to go on strike on October 1, which will affect all Atlantic and Mexico Gulf Coast ports from Maine to Texas. The Port of New York-New Jersey, the nation's second-largest container port, also issued a warning that cargo owners must pick up their cargo before the end of work on September 30.
Although the port strike is imminent, according to the trend of the freight index, the market worry has not appeared in advance. The freight index has been declining for six consecutive weeks, and the decline is expanding. However, the freight forwarder said that if the labor problem is not resolved, there is a high probability of price increases. If the strike continues, ports in the western U.S. will also be affected, and the price increase will depend on port congestion.
In addition, in order to avoid the risk of demurrage, some cargo ships that originally went to the east of the United States may choose to dock at the diversion of the United States, China and the West of the United States, causing congestion in the United States, China and the West of the United States, thereby increasing the pressure on the terminals of the United States, China and the West of the United States, leading to the arrival of a wave of price increases across the board. At the same time, in order to avoid the risk of detention, some logistics providers will concentrate on handling container pick-up and return before and after the National Day holiday, thus ushering in unprecedented reservation and delivery pressure.
With the increasing risk of strikes at ports in the eastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico, relevant agencies estimate that a strike in the eastern United States will take an additional 4 to 6 days to clear the backlog. If the strike continues, it could also affect global shipping plans, cargo supply and container freight rates. Therefore, relevant companies and individuals need to pay close attention to the development of the situation and be prepared to deal with it.