For now, we just know what to expect from March
Following our latest communication on container sea transport, the scenario for the month of March does not seem to be very different.
Carrier on-time performance has decreased a lot. According to Sea Intelligence, the situation will not improve in the short term, given the persistent congestion in ports and with carriers still not letting off capacity-wise.
Sea freight rates are expected to remain high in March as well: main ocean carriers have announced further increases in tariffs for container sea transport to and from the Mediterranean countries, including Italy.
It is difficult to make forecasts the next few months and the opinions of the experts are diversified.
According to Vice President of Global Ocean at Flexport, Nerijus Poskus, prices won’t come back to 2019 levels by any means quickly. They may, but “that’s going to happen in the next two, three months, but the trend should be downwards.”(flexport.com)
Now that the March freight rates are available and that the Chinese holidays are concluded, the hopes of those who were confident in a significant tariffs’ drop after the New Year and in the coming weeks are fading.
According to the “Freightos Baltic Index” the route from the Far East to Europe remains the most expensive for Italian importers.
One way shippers can limit the damage is to more accurately predict volumes — an even taller order than usual in 2021 due to COVID-driven demand uncertainties.
As international freight forwarders operating with the main carriers, we report an important container shortage.
We therefore invite our customers to plan and book the containerized shipments well in advance.
Asian Logistics team is at your disposal to give the best service despite the difficulties of the period. Get in touch with your Italian freight forwarder:
