At JOC’s TPM 2014 conference, panelists said container lines will continue to face challenging times in 2014 and 2015, mainly because of a slew of pending deliveries of large vessels in the next two years that will keep supply and demand out of balance.

Trans-Pacific

Notably, shipping lines in the eastbound trans-Pacific trade lane, as part of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement, have announced their intention to advance by two weeks their previously announced rate hike that was scheduled for May 1.

Three container lines have planned eastbound rate increases for April 15:

• Hapag-Lloyd plans to increase rates on its trade from East Asia to the U.S. and Canada, effective April 15. The hike will be $240 per 20-foot container, $300 per 40-foot container, $337 per 40-foot high-cube container and $380 per 45-foot container.

• Cosco Container Lines aims to hike rates on shipments from the Far East and Indian subcontinent to the U.S. and Canada by $240 per 20-foot container, $300 per 40-foot container, $338 per 40-foot high-cube container and $380 per 45-foot container.

• U.S. Lines has plans to hike rates on cargo from Asia to the U.S. and Canada by $240 per 20-foot container, $300 per 40-foot container, $338 per 40-foot high-cube container and $380 per 45-foot container.

In the westbound trade lane, U.S. Lines has scheduled a rate increase for all cargo on the Columbus PNW service to all destinations, starting April 1. The hike will apply to containers loading from Vancouver, British Columbia, and inland terminal cargo. It will be $200 per 20-foot container and $300 per 40-foot, 40-foot high-cube and 45-foot container.

U.S. Lines also hopes to implement a rate increase on its refrigerated cargo, excluding fresh or chilled fruit and frozen meat or poultry, from the U.S. and Canada by $200 per 20-foot, 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container, effective April 6.

Additionally, the carrier intends to hike rates on PEX 3 shipments from Houston and Mobile, Ala., to the Far East by $80 per 20-foot container and $100 per 40-foot, 40-foot high-cube and 45-foot container, starting April 11.

Beginning April 14, U.S. Lines aims to boost rates on westbound trans-Pacific shipments of automobiles and vehicles from the U.S. West Coast ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland to Xingang, Taiwan, and Dalian, Shanghai and Qingdao, China. The increase will be $50 per 20-foot, 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container and $75 per 45-foot container.

Hapag-Lloyd has scheduled a rate increase on shipments from Canada and the U.S. to East Asia, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, effective April 15. For cargo from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, the hike will be $40 per 20-foot container and $50 per 40-foot container, and for cargo from all other origins, the increase will be $80 per 20-foot container and $100 per 40-foot container.

Starting April 18, U.S. Lines plans to implement a rate increase on cargo from the U.S. via New York; Norfolk, Va.; and Savannah, Ga., to all destinations covered in Tariff ANLS-001, excluding Australia and New Zealand. The hike will be $80 per 20-foot container and $100 per 40-foot, 40-foot high-cube and 45-foot container.

U.S. Lines also noted that it has postponed its April 1 rate increase on shipments from the U.S. East Coast to Australia and New Zealand to a “future date.”

Trans-Atlantic

U.S. Lines will try to implement a rate hike on all exports from U.S. ports to Trinidad and Tobago ports, beginning April 6. The increase will be $300 per 20-foot container, $600 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container and $675 per 45-foot container.

Intra-Asia

Effective April 1, Hapag-Lloyd plans to hike rates on cargo from East Asia, excluding Japan, to the Persian Gulf by $200 per TEU. For shipments from Japan to the Persian Gulf, the increase will be $300 per TEU.

On the same date, CMA CGM intends to increase rates on its trade from Japan to the Middle East by $300 per TEU.

Two carriers have planned two-stage rate increases:

• Maersk hopes to increase rates on its westbound trade from the Far East, excluding Japan, to the Indian subcontinent by $100 per TEU and $100 per FEU, effective March 15, and by $200 per TEU and $100 per FEU, starting April 1.

• Maersk also announced rate hikes on westbound shipments from the Far East, excluding Japan, to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea of $150 per TEU and $300 per FEU, beginning March 15, and $200 per TEU and $100 per FEU, effective April 1.

• CMA CGM hopes to boost rates on cargo from Asia, excluding Japan, to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West India by $100 per TEU, starting April 1, and $150 per TEU, beginning April 15. From Japan to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West India, the hike will be $150 per TEU, effective April 1.

• CMA CGM also aims to hike rates on shipments from Asia, excluding Japan, to the Middle East, by $200 per TEU, starting April 1, and $200 per TEU, beginning April 15.

Asia-Europe

Two carriers have scheduled rate hikes for April 1:

• CMA CGM plans to hike rates on shipments from the Far East to the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black Sea and North Africa by $650 per TEU. For shipments to Syria, the increase will be €500 per TEU. CMA CGM also hopes to increase rates on cargo from the Middle East to North Europe, east and west Mediterranean, Baltic, Black Sea, Red Sea and North Africa by $200 per container.

• Hamburg Süd aims to boost rates on trade from Turkey to Europe, including the U.K., by €75 per 20-foot container and €125 per 40-foot container, and ₤60 per 20-foot container and ₤100 per 40-foot container.

Two container lines have planned rate increases for April 15:

• Hapag-Lloyd hopes to boost rates on its trade from the Far East, excluding Japan, to Europe by $500 per TEU.

• Hamburg Süd aims to raise rates on cargo from Egypt to Europe. For shipments to northwest Europe, the hike will be €50 per 20-foot container and €100 per 40-foot container, and for shipments to the U.K., the increase will be ₤40 per 20-foot container and ₤80 per 40-foot container.

   

In the opposite direction, CMA CGM aims to raise rates on cargo from North Europe to the Far East and Indian subcontinent by $200 per 20-foot container and $300 per 40-foot container, starting April 1.

On the same date, the container line also hopes to increase rates on shipments from North Europe, Scandinavia and the U.K. to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf by $200 per 20-foot container and $300 per 40-foot container.

Asia-Africa

Starting March 31, CMA CGM plans to raise rates on its trade from Asia, including Japan, Southeast Asia and Bangladesh to South Africa and Port Louis, Mauritius, by $200 per TEU.

The carrier also hopes to hike rates on shipments from the United Arab Emirates and Persian Gulf to Mombasa, Kenya, and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, by $200 per TEU, beginning April 1.

In the opposite direction, Maersk aims to boost rates on cargo from South Africa to the Middle East and Indian subcontinent by $75 per 20-foot, 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container, effective April 1.

Latin America-Related Trade

Mediterranean Shipping Co. aims to increase rates on its trade from the Far East to South America’s east coast, starting April 1. The hike will be $750 per 20-foot container and $1,500 per 40-foot container.

On the same date, Hamburg Süd plans to boost rates on cargo from Asia to South America’s east coast by $750 per 20-foot container and $1,500 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container, 40-foot non-operated reefer container.

Four carriers have planned rate increases for April 15:

• Maersk intends to raise rates on shipments from the Far East to Central America and the west coast of South America by $500 per 20-foot container and $1,000 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container.

• Hapag-Lloyd hopes to implement a rate increase of $500 per TEU on shipments from East Asia to Mexico and the west coasts of Central America and South America. The carrier also aims to boost rates on cargo from East Asia, the Middle East and Indian subcontinent to South America’s east coast by $600 per TEU.

• Cosco aims to hike rates on shipments from the Far East to South America’s west coast and Mexico by $500 per 20-foot container and $1,000 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container. From the Far East to South America’s west coast, the carrier hopes to increase rates by $600 per 20-foot container and $1,200 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container.

• Hamburg Süd has scheduled a rate hike on shipments from Asia to South America’s east coast. The increase will be $600 per 20-foot container, $1,200 per 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube container, $800 per non-operated reefer container and $1,500 per 40-foot reefer container.

• Hamburg Süd also intends to boost rates on trade from Asia to Mexico and the west coasts of South and Central America by $500 per 20-foot container and $1,000 per 40-foot, 40-foot high-cube, 40-foot reefer and 40-foot non-operated reefer container.

Effective May 1, Hamburg Süd and Aliança Navegação hope to raise rates on trade from North Europe and the U.K. to South America’s east coast by €250 per 20-foot container and €500 per 40-foot container.

The Journal of Commerce