Cleartrade News

The downwards trend line in Asia-Europe spot freight rates has finally been reversed, as data from World Container Index Shanghai-Europe reveals. Whereas the first four months of 2016 saw 50% or larger reductions in freight rates and record-low spot rate levels, a series of five consecutive monthly rate increases that started in April and continued again on 1 August has resulted in a return to an upwards trend line. “Shippers and cargo owners booking under spot rates enjoyed huge cost reductions while carriers suffered substantial revenue shortfalls in early 2016 on the Asia-Europe route but, as we predicted, this extreme situation did not last,” said Philip Damas, director at Drewry, which jointly owns WCI alongside Cleartrade Exchange.

London - Today’s Shanghai-to-Rotterdam container freight rate assessment from the World Container Index (WCI), a joint venture between Drewry and The Cleartrade Exchange, shows that container freight rates in the westbound Asia-Europe corridor increased by 28 percent this week, adding upwards pricing pressure on shippers only one month after the previous large rate increases. The World Container Index’s Shanghai-Rotterdam container freight rate sub-index went from $2,654 per 40-foot container on March 29 to $3,408 per 40-foot container on April 5, a rise of $754 per feu. Carriers in the key Asia-Europe head haul trade had announced General Rate Increases (GRIs) of about $400 per teu (or $800 per 40-foot container) from April 1.

A short-lived revival in rates still means rich pickings for shippers coming into the transpacific contracting season, but beware the capacity crunch to come. Shippers should not lose sleep over the recent, short-lived jump in spot rates, but ought instead focus on ways to mitigate the risk of another sudden capacity crunch later in the year, urges Drewry Maritime Research. Freight rates on east-west trades have been in the ascendency of late. Drewry's Hong Kong - Los Angeles container rate benchmark, as published in the Container Freight Rate Insight, leapt 28% in the first week of the year. The benchmark rose $396 to $1,832 per feu and successfully sustained this level into the second week.

Half of all index-linked contracts filed with the US Federal Maritime Commission reference Drewry’s Container Freight Rate Insight pricing benchmarks. Drewry Maritime Research’s container freight rate benchmarks are the index of choice in index-linked container contracts, according to the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). The agency also indicated that uptake of index-linked container contracts on US trades was fast growing. Index-linked contracts allow freight rates to be adjusted during the life of the agreement by reference to an external, independent market price index. Speaking at the Container Freight Derivatives Association’s (CFDA) Global Container Freight Forum in London last month…

Drewry Maritime Research, the global leader in freight rate benchmarking, has expanded its flagship Container Freight Rate Insight publication and now provides freight rate benchmarks on 550 international trade routes. Published monthly, the report provides all-in spot rates on all the key shipping routes of the world, including both headhaul and backhaul trades. In  addition to the monthly report, subscribers also have access to an online database of both current and historical freight rate data dating back to January 2006. Drewry collects its proprietary freight rate data from active freight forwarders in the Far East, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Canada and South America, who provide their freight rates confidentially to Drewry.

Drewry Shipping Consultants and The Cleartrade Exchange announced that the World Container Index (WCI), the first Europe-based assessment of container freight rates and index production, is scheduled for launch in September 2011. The index will be designed to provide a new and important facility for the global market to hedge their freight rate risk and see major improvements in forward price discovery through the container derivatives market. Significantly, the new index will be the first of its kind to report weekly freight rates on backhaul as well as headhaul routes and will provide increased efficiencies in hedging strategies for freight users dealing in bulk, commoditised and recovered cargoes.

Drewry Shipping Consultants and The Cleartrade Exchange have announced that the World Container Index (WCI), the first Europe-based assessment of container freight rates and index production, is scheduled for launch in September 2011. The index will provide a new and important facility for the global market to hedge their freight rate risk and see major improvements in forward price discovery through the container derivatives market. Significantly, the new index will be the first of its kind to report weekly freight rates on backhaul as well as headhaul routes and will provide increased efficiencies in hedging strategies for freight users dealing in bulk, commoditised and recovered cargoes.

London, May 5, 2011. Drewry and Cleartrade Exchange have today unveiled the World Container Index assessed by Drewry, a global index which can be used by physical and derivative market participants to manage freight risk. The index will report individual market prices on major East-West container shipping routes. Initially prices for 11 individual routes and a composite index will be reported each week. These will cover trade in both directions between Asia, North America and Europe.