Situation

Although volumes remained steady in September, the holiday break in China is expected to affect orders placed in October, leading to lower volumes throughout the month.

Obstacles

Ongoing vessel delays continue to disrupt export schedules out of Europe, compounded by late arrivals of ships from Asia at already congested European ports. To recover their initial schedules, some carriers may resort to skipping certain port calls entirely.

Outlook

We expect October volumes to decline, with freight rates likely to stagnate this month despite already hovering at very low levels.

Main Ports: North Europe to Far East

^{Source: Market average rates for 40‘ containers according to www.xeneta.com}

Main Ports: Mediterranean to Far East