Freight rates remain on a downward trend, but pressure points are emerging
While the long-term trend in freight rates remains downward, some shipping routes may experience short-term increases in the final weeks of the year, driven by operational factors. These include vessel cancellations and storms affecting port operations in Southeast Asia, which are disrupting normal logistics flows. As a result, volatility is increasing in a market that had shown relative stability.
Sailing cancellations increase, with uneven impact across trade lanes
Shipping lines have announced the cancellation of approximately 9% of scheduled global sailings in the coming weeks. These cancellations are mainly concentrated in Transpacific services, making the direct impact on routes to the East Coast of South America less certain. Nevertheless, reduced available capacity could create pressure if demand strengthens.
Chinese New Year: proactive planning becomes critical
With the Chinese New Year approaching—a period that historically triggers a pre-holiday surge in demand—logistics planning becomes increasingly important. In this context, it may be prudent to build safety stocks and coordinate closely with logistics providers to anticipate potential disruptions, additional blank sailings, or cost increases.