The truce on tariffs announced by Trump continues to fuel the rush of shipments from China to the United States and Europe via container shipping. According to the World Container Index compiled by Drewry on 5 June, the composite index covering all routes surveyed rose by +41% in one week, bringing to mind the recent surges in sea freight costs. Even greater increases were seen on some routes: freight rates for 40-foot containers from Shanghai to Los Angeles rose by +57% in seven days, climbing from $3,737 to $5,876 per FEU (freight unit). The increase in rates from Shanghai to New York was slightly lower (+37%), bringing the average value from $5,172 to $7,164 per FEU. That the surge is mainly caused by the feared US tariffs is evident from the trend in freight rates on the reverse route: the cost of maritime transport from Los Angeles to Shanghai has remained stuck at £716. Fears of tariffs also seem to have affected shipments from China to Europe, albeit to a lesser extent. The largest percentage increase was recorded between Shanghai and Genoa, where freight rates jumped from $2,939 to $4,068 per FEU (+38%) in one week. A spot shipment from the Chinese port to Rotterdam now costs $2,845, 32% more than the previous week. The fare on the reverse route from Rotterdam to Shanghai is also rising, albeit to a lesser extent : +10% to $509. On the other hand, it’s all quiet on the transatlantic route between Europe and the US. The average spot freight rate from Rotterdam to New York has only gone up by two percentage points to $1,977 per FEU, while in the opposite direction it has actually dropped by one per cent to $821, the only figure in the red for the week. It is difficult to predict how things will develop in the coming weeks, as Trump’s tariff policy is unpredictable. Drewry ventures a medium-term estimate that freight rates may decline in the second half of the year.

Source: https://www.polimerica.it/articolo.asp?id=34004