"Winter tires are seasonal products. According to the current shipping, in addition to expensive, they have not been delivered to the destination port on time. They have to give up orders from more than 20 merchants and lose nearly 100 million yuan." Tire manufacturers say that many foreign trade companies have The helpless voice of not daring to take orders. In contrast, companies such as shipowners, shipping, shipbuilding, and container production have made a lot of money, and even leading container companies have turned losses into profits.
Behind this is related to the soaring shipping prices. "Box worries" and "crash boats" have become a true portrayal of the shipping industry today. As the "barometer" of the shipping industry, the Baltic Dry Bulk Index (BDI) has hit a new high in the past 12 years, while shipping prices have risen 12 times.
Phenomenon
The quotation per 40-foot TEU on North American routes once exceeded US$20,000
11,000 export boxes were sold out in 38 minutes! This is the scene of the arrival of heavy containers at the Yantian Port of Shenzhen port in the port lottery lottery and was looted at the end of August.
"The parking space near the port is too tight. My wife will bring me three meals a day. I am afraid that the space will be lost when I walk away." Master Mao, the tow truck driver who ran the Sichuan-Chongqing-Yantian port line, said that he returned to Yantian port after the long distance. Of distress.
Behind the busy schedule and the looting of reservation numbers, the shipping market is very hot. As the "barometer" of shipping prices, the Baltic Dry Bulk Index (BDI) closed at 4560 points on September 22, a record high in the past 12 years. Compared with the low of 1111 points in January last year, the cumulative increase has exceeded three times.
"Shipping prices can be described as'rising all the way, one price per day'." Chen Gang, product sales director of Guangzhou Wanbao Group Refrigerator Co., Ltd. sighed, as refrigerators are bulky goods with low value, the freight has been compared with the value of the goods. Shoulder to shoulder.
A set of data on the Global Container Freight Index can also be seen. The transportation price from China to the east coast of North America was once reported to North America at US$20,636 per 40-foot TEU. Although the price has fallen slightly, it is different from that from Ningbo Port, China in January 2020. Compared with the price of more than 1,700 US dollars for shipping to Los Angeles, the price increased by more than 11 times in just over one and a half years, and this route is also a route with large price fluctuations.
Not only that, the quotations released by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange also show that the poor transportation turnover, stagnant container pressure and even port congestion caused by the epidemic on North American routes have become the new normal, and the transportation difficulties have not been effectively improved.
On September 16, serious cargo ship jams occurred in San Pedroro Bay, California, and the number of container ships waiting in line reached 65. It is reported that the average anchoring time at the port is 7.8 days.
The freight rate is comparable to the value of the cargo, the container is difficult to find, and the shipping jam is still continuing on the sea. Jia Dashan, vice president of the Institute of Water Transport Science of the Ministry of Transport, believes that the root cause is the obvious decline in shipping capacity turnover efficiency and the increase in the imbalance of container in and out of supply. The chain is tight, and the supply of crew continues to be tight.
Behind
The epidemic breaks the balance of the global commodity supply chain
It used to cost about US$300 to buy vegetables in the supermarket. Starting in May, the same vegetables and meat will cost US$500 to US$600. "The wife of Quan, who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, marveled at the soaring prices.
In fact, the largest price increase in the United States is oil, which has driven the increase of the entire price chain. This is not unrelated to the surge in shipping prices, in addition to the US government's "spending money" to subsidize consumer consumption, the new oil policy, and the impact of the epidemic. .
On September 7, data released by the General Administration of Customs of my country showed that in August, my country’s exports increased by 25.6%, achieving high growth on a high base, demonstrating my country’s export competitiveness and resilience in foreign trade.
"Compared with the year before, the sales volume of refrigerators, freezers and wine coolers has increased by 80% year-on-year." Speaking of this wave, Chen Gang lamented that this kind of experience with almost no off-season is very rare.
In addition to boosting the sales of consumer goods, the reporter also noticed that companies such as shipowners, shipping, shipbuilding, and container production are also making a lot of money.
"The characteristics of shipping companies are big in, big out, big joy, big compassion..." Zhang Baomin, general manager of Guangzhou COSCO Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. described the changes in this industry. Because the epidemic has disrupted the balance of the global supply chain, shipping companies that have been silent for more than 10 years fought a turnaround battle with shipowners. On September 15, the China Shipbuilding Industry Association announced the economic operation of the shipbuilding industry from January to August 2021, showing that domestic shipyards received 49.11 million dwt of new ship orders, a year-on-year increase of 227.2%. Among them, the shipowner company represented by COSCO SHIPPING Holdings made a profit of 37.1 billion yuan in the first half of the year, a year-on-year growth rate of 3162.3%; and CIMC, whose core business is container, achieved a net profit of 4.297 billion yuan in the first half of the year, turning losses into profits. , A year-on-year increase of 2450.95%.
Observe
"Frozen price" is difficult to change in a short period of time
"In the past, we were able to get the space in two or three working days after booking. Now it basically takes one or two weeks." Wang Lei, head of overseas sales of Wanli Tire, said that the difficulty of obtaining one space continues, and shipping companies have "turned around" from the buyer's market. "Is a seller's market.
At present, more than 90% of my country's foreign trade import and export goods are completed by sea, and among the export goods, most export companies sign trade contracts with FOB terms (foreign buyers have the right to transport and pay for freight).
"Although shipping costs are paid by buyers and merchants, it is not easy to be a manufacturer." Miss Zhou, who is in charge of shipping business from an export-oriented company, revealed that because it is difficult to find one cabin, one box is hard to find, and the waiting time for the goods to be on board, etc. It will bring a lot of additional expenses to the enterprise, such as the additional payment of yard rental fees and bill modification fees for ship extensions.
In the past few days, shipping giants such as Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd have fired the first shot of "freezing prices". In this regard, Hua Liang, chairman of Shenzhen Zhonghaitong Logistics Co., Ltd., said that although shipping companies have launched "freezing prices" , But it is still difficult to change the situation that one cabin is hard to find. The real change in freight rates depends on the situation of epidemic prevention and control.
For the future trend of freight rates, many shipowners predict that the high level of freight rates will remain at least until the middle of 2022.
Business response
Wang Lei, head of overseas sales of Wanli Tire:
In order to cope with the shipment of customers, if they cannot ship at nearby ports, they will pay the land transportation fee to help them ship from Qingdao Port, Ningbo Port, Yantian Port and other ports.
Li Jinfeng, head of Hutou shipping under the Light Industry Group:
Faced with the situation that it is difficult to find one cabin, it is necessary to make a booking plan at least half a month in advance to ensure that the cabin can be obtained on time. It is necessary to find more companies or even freight forwarders, etc., more companies can be selected, and more can solve the problem Methods.
