With China’s Golden Week and Christmas shipping season approaching, freight rates on most routes around the world have recently increased, and shipping demand has increased significantly, but ports are also facing congestion and delays.
Ports in countries such as Brisbane/Sydney/Melbourne in Australia, Tokyo in Japan, and Felixstowe in the UK have experienced a certain degree of congestion and delays. Shipping companies also imposed additional congestion surcharges, suspension of cargo pick-ups, and port jumps. In addition, the large container ships deployed on East Asian routes have exacerbated the congestion in Japanese ports because the existing terminals cannot handle larger ships.
Due to recent port problems caused by tight positions, freight rates continue to rise. Customers who have recent orders for plywood must booking space in advance, and make sure to leave enough room for freight charges when calculating the cost of your local plywood and MDF market.
