Shipping Rates Fluctuate Again, and All Parties Focus on the Trend of Peak Season Surcharges

Many shipping companies have recently released new surcharge adjustment plans, attracting close attention from freight forwarders and merchants. Although the large - scale strike over labor disputes at East Coast ports in the United States has temporarily come to an end, several international giants including CMA CGM and Maersk have successively announced the imposition or increase of peak - season surcharges on some routes. The affected areas include North America, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East Gulf, the Red Sea, Egypt, and Latin America. Such fee adjustments often mean an increase in transportation costs and also reflect that the recent market environment still faces certain fluctuations.import and exportAt the same time, CMA CGM has also released a new surcharge plan for goods shipped from Guyana and Suriname to the United States: starting from January 17, the surcharge will be increased by $350 per TEU and $700 per FEU. Although the export trade volume in this region is not comparable to that of major routes, the increase in operating costs brought about by this cannot be underestimated. In the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America, there have been many examples of developing countries accelerating infrastructure construction and trade liberalization in recent years, and the trade volume with the United States is gradually increasing. At this time, the increase in freight or surcharges may affect the profit margins of local export enterprises in the short term, and for US importers, the selling price of the final product may also fluctuate accordingly.Maritime TransportationMaersk has also announced a new levy notice. Starting from January 24, it will levy a peak - season surcharge of $600 per container on some trans - oceanic or inter - continental routes, involving dozens of countries or regions. The departure places include Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, etc., and the destination is Gambia. This means that many routes will face additional transportation costs, and the range of affected merchants is extremely wide. Maersks announcement did not clearly state the specific basis for the levy, but usually, when market demand rises intensively in a specific period or when shipping capacity is tight, shipping companies will use the peak - season surcharge (PSS) to adjust the balance of cabin supply and price.

According to the latest announcement of CMA CGM, starting from February 1st, for all goods shipped from the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East Gulf, the Red Sea and Egypt to the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, a peak season surcharge of $1000 per container will be levied. Industry insiders analyze that this move may be superimposed with seasonal cargo volume fluctuations. The routes involved span multiple ports, covering not only the export business of India and its neighboring countries, but also the supply chain layout of a large number of petrochemical, textile and consumer goods entering the US market. It is worth noting that the shipping demand between India and the US has been increasing continuously in the past period. Coupled with the uncertain factors in the transshipment operation of some local ports, the shipping company adjusts in the form of a peak season surcharge, which also reflects the dynamic changes of shipping capacity and freight rates at this stage to a certain extent.

Practitioners generally believe that the recent fluctuations in the global shipping market are due to multiple factors. On the one hand, although port labor disputes have eased, against the macro - background of inflation and high logistics costs, all parties are still waiting and seeing about the volume of goods in the coming months. On the other hand, some major shipping companies are in the period of integration and adjustment of operating models. It is not surprising that they adopt the strategy of increasing surcharges based on changes in cost items such as fuel, equipment, and terminal service fees. In addition, shipping alliance members often act in concert in terms of cabin arrangements. After industry leaders announce the imposition of surcharges, other companies often take similar measures to maintain a relatively consistent profit level and market rhythm.

Cargo owners and freight forwarding enterprises pay close attention to this. They emphasize that there is uncertainty in the current global market demand. If freight or surcharges rise too quickly in a phased manner, it may prompt some customers to be more cautious in placing orders, or even delay or reduce the quantity of shipments. In the traditional route from India to North America, if the profit margin of some products is not high, the increased freight or PSS will weaken the affordability of the seller or the buyer in the short term. For exporters in Guyana, Suriname, etc., the trade volume is originally limited. Once the rate soars, there may be a temporary suspension or a search for alternative transportation methods.

However, some analysts also point out that after the Spring Festival, as the nodes gradually return to normal, some temporary surcharges may not remain high for a long time. Especially once the risk of port worker strikes is completely eliminated, major shipping companies will be more flexible in the capacity deployment of some routes to North and South America. If the supply - demand relationship returns to a relatively balanced state, the upward trend of freight rates or surcharges may also turn around. For import and export enterprises that need to ship goods in the near future, they should confirm the latest rates of each route with shipping companies or freight forwarders in advance and make sufficient shipping arrangements to avoid passively bearing unnecessary additional costs due to temporary tight仓位 or surcharge increases.

It is worth mentioning that although the strike problem at East Coast ports in the United States has temporarily cooled down, in the long run, the global supply chain still faces various challenges in the post - pandemic era. The combined effects of changes in international political relations and trade patterns, adjustments in inflation and economic expectations in various countries, and fluctuations in the supply - demand of the shipping capacity market have made the trends of shipping prices and surcharges erratic. For practitioners and logistics companies, actively tracking shipping company announcements, deeply understanding the market conditions, and leaving appropriate room for flexibility in their own quotations and contract terms may become an indispensable strategy.

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