GRI May 2015

30 April 2015

The Asia / Europe westbound rates have dropped like stone in the last few weeks and as good as it seems to be for the European buyers there is a downside to this and a fair warning is in place.

As volumes are not huge yet not everybody noticed that carriers have already started taking out ships. There are now more than a dozen ships withdrawn over the next 8 weeks and this is gathering pace.  It is not going to solve the carriers long term problems until a loop or two is removed, but this latest round of withdrawals is certainly going to help them, just as we are coming into our peak season.  So all measures have been taken to prepare for a substantial rate increase in May and pressure on space and commitment will be high.

We want to remind you to place your bookings as early as possible and plan your cargo demand well ahead as space will be tight in this peak season.