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 that disruption will last into the second half of 2024.

The Loadstar expects air cargo demand to benefit as supply chain bottlenecks prompt expedited shipments.

Guests:

Jon Monroe, president, Jon Monroe Consulting

Rob Powell, MD, Miro Logistics

Mike Wackett, sea freight correspondent, The Loadstar

Episode in more detail:

Diversions around the Cape (2.25)

Excess boxship capacity sucked dry (3.25)

Suez drives freight rate spikes (5.23)

Asia-Europe contract season (7.36)

Container charter market (8.45)

Chinese New Year looms (9.50)

Red Sea crisis hits backhauls (11.48)

UK exporters over a barrel (15.38)

Carrier-shipper relations damaged (17.40)

Air cargo upbeat (22.57)

Asia asset imbalance (24.37)

Why US trades so impacted (26.30)

What shippers should expect next (28.34)

USWC’s perfect storm? (31.13)

Betting on trans-Pac contract levels (32.26)

Firefighting advice to SC execs (36.05)

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Credits: Created, edited and produced by Mike King & Associates for The Loadstar.