News
Briskness in oceangoing shipping is having a knock-on effect on shortsea shipping. Spot rates for containers from China to Southeast Asia are climbing endlessly. The Southeast Asia Freight Index (SEAFI) for shipments from Shanghai, unveiled by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE), reached 4,902.5 points on Nov. 20, the highest level since the SSE began compiling statistics with comprehensive indexes in 2017. The SEAFI surged during the last 30-plus days, as it was just around 860 points on Oct. 16. Although going down slightly to 4,805.15 points on Nov. 27, it is still fluctuating at high levels.
The SEAFI takes Nov. 30, 2015 as the base period with the base period index of 503.39 points.
By trade route, spot rates stood at $903 per TEU for containers destined to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Nov. 27; $825 per TEU for those to Laem Chabang, Thailand; $994 per TEU for those to Port Kelang, Malaysia; $951 per TEU for those to Jakarta, Indonesia; and $960 per TEU for those to Singapore. Even rate for containers to Manila, the Philippines, which had gone below zero, improved to as high as $373 per TEU.
