28 Feb 2023

China’s loss is Southeast Asia’s gain as supply chains shift away to cheaper climes

  Southeast Asian governments have been beckoning foreign firms with cheaper labor, tax breaks and improved logistics as China’s Covid woes rumble on But analysts say the likes of Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia will long struggle to match China’s deep, integrated supply chain network Global manufacturers have spread their bets to Southeast Asia – […]

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30 Jan 2023

Shipping Alliances

  The two largest global container lines have mutually agreed to end their vessel-sharing partnership in January 2025. A joint statement by Vincent Clerc, CEO of A. P. Moller – Maersk, and Soren Toft, CEO of MSC, said that discontinuing the vessel-sharing alliance would allow both companies to “pursue their individual strategies”. Consultant Drewry observed […]

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20 Jan 2023

Look to Weeks After Chinese New Year for Supply Chain Effects, Experts Say

With Chinese New Year starting Sunday, and manufacturing and logistics operations virtually shut down there for two weeks, experts say retail inventory levels are in a good place given recent gluts and proactive restocks, but the weeks following will bear watching and might bring issues. System shutdowns related to Chinese New Year, which runs from […]

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18 Jan 2023

Airfreight rates still tumbling as soft market sparks early CNY factory closures

  With factories already closing in China, ahead of next week’s new year holiday, airfreight rates on major routes have continued to decline. One source reported that factories were closing early: in part, because some staff did not get a holiday last year owing to Covid lockdowns, partly because of new Covid cases and also […]

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17 Jan 2023

No Sign of Chinese New Year Demand Surge for Air Cargo Market

Economic pressures continue to hamper consumer spending, and industry players are not expecting to see the usual increase in demand as factories close for the two-week holiday. According to a global freight forwarder, the year-end holiday in 2022 did not deplete stock levels. For this reason, a limited uptick in demand is expected after the […]

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15 Jan 2023

Chinese Export Container Rates Drop 27%

  Chinese container exports which typically spike in the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year (CNY), faced a drop in prices and continues to downtrend, performing the worst in 13 years, according to chief shipping analyst at BIMCO, Niels Rasmussen. “Spot rates for containers loading in Shanghai will normally be 12% higher just before […]

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