News / Carriers keeping capacity tight keeps the reins on east-west rates

Proactive capacity management by ocean carriers is continuing to underpin freight rates on the major east-west tradelanes.

The European components of today’s Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) were in positive territory, with spot rates for North Europe up by 2% to $880 per teu, while edging up by 0.8% for Mediterranean ports, to $931 per teu.

“Services ex-Asia are generally full,” Martin Holst-Mikkelsen, head of ocean freight EMEA at Flexport told The Loadstar, adding that the “healthy demand situation” for carriers looked ...