Trans-Pacific Rate Benchmark Hits 2011 Low
Spot rates slide 2.6% in the week ending Sept. 26, says Drewry.
The Drewry Container Rate Benchmark for trans-Pacific spot pricing fell for the second straight week in the week ending Sept. 26, sliding another 2.5 percent from the week before to the lowest level of the year.
With Alphaliner projecting carriers will lose $300 million this fall, chances are growing that container lines may pull back capacity, whether by idling ships, dropping some port calls or dropping some strings.
The Drewry benchmark rate fell to $1,521 per 40-foot equivalent container unit in the week ended Sept. 26 in the face of weak consumer demand during the U.S. peak season. That’s down from $1,561 per FEU last week, when the rate fell by 5.6 percent from the week before.
