(International Freighting Weekly – Katerina Kerr)
Container traffic is expected to increase 12% this year, but will decline to half that in 2011, according to HSBC Global Research’s latest report. The research also projects an average rise of 17% in US$ per teu for this year, but only a 2% rise for 2011.
HSBC recorded a 20% rise in container volumes in the second quarter this year, with traffic in July up 11% on last year to 12.7 million teu, but 2% below figures for July 2008.
It said: “Globally, demand remains strong on intra-Asian trades, and recently had been particularly strong on Asia-Europe. Freight rates charged by container lines such as Maersk – which recently upgraded guidance – are up around 30%, year to date, globally, owing to healthy demand and supply-side discipline.” Read more here.
