Nov. 2022

With the covid 19 crisis, purchases in China have increased to such an extent that shipowners have seen a great opportunity to boost their margins. It all started with the number of orders they had to carry in their ships, they raised prices to keep up with the flow of demand, they soon found out that even if they raised their prices considerably, the demand kept increasing. We ended up with prices that were 400 percent higher than before covid. The container carrier is unavoidable, and we realised this to our cost.

The share of transport in an order became enormous.

 

 

Then, little by little, the prices came down, also thanks to the train, which is gaining ground on the sea (but the latter still represents some 85 to 90% of world transport). Without taking sides with any of the modes of transport, this will make it possible, in addition to offering two different options in terms of speed of delivery, to regulate a little undoubtedly this kind of increase in a service which could multiply its price by 5.

Today, the price of a container on a China-Europe route is practically back to pre-Covid levels.

 

 

Moreover, each mode has its own qualities, and although it cannot be denied that maritime transport is the longest, it still has advantages, such as delivering to the customer goods that are packaged and conditioned by the factory, and loaded into the container once. The goods will not be handled until they reach their destination, and they are insured. This means that damage to the goods is very rare. 

It is also the cheapest mode of international freight transport, and the one that offers the most flexibility in terms of the types of goods that can be transported (nothing or almost nothing is impossible by ship, heavy or bulky objects, etc.), which is something that air and rail transport do not offer. Finally, to mention only the strongest points of maritime transport, it is possible to be delivered almost anywhere since there are commercial ports everywhere.

 

 

Please also note that a transport quote is valid for a fortnight, prices change every fortnight, so don't hesitate to ask us, we are here to help.