Loadstar Podcast | Jan 2024 | The Red Sea crisis: Freight rates soar as CNY capacity and equipment crunch looms

Host Mike King hears that the de facto closure of the Suez Canal to almost all container shipping traffic is creating mounting supply chain bottlenecks for global trade.

Cape of Good Hope diversions are throwing the supply-demand balance of the global container shipping fleet out of kilter, driving up freight rates and charter rates.

Added transit times are already leading to equipment and slot shortages in Asia as the market heads towards Chinese New Year factory closures in February. One guest predicts ...