News / Slide in container freight rates may be beginning to level out

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Freight rates on the major east-west container trades continued to slide this week – although the precipitous fall during previous weeks has finally begun to flatten out.

According to this week’s Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI), the freight rate from China to North Europe has dipped below the $700 per teu mark, down some 4.2% week on week to today’s $684 per teu.

Rate levels on the China-Mediterranean leg also declined, by 2.1%, to end the week at $732 per teu.

Declines were ...