The upward race of sea freight rates between Asia and Europe, as a consequence of tensions on the Red Sea, where Houthi rebels continue to attack with rockets and drones merchant ships heading to the Suez Canal, now selectively letting Russian and Chinese merchant ships through.

According to the online magazine TrasportoEuropa, based on Drewry’s weekly surveys, on 18 January the average spot freight rates for the sea transport of a container exceeded six thousand dollars on the route between Shanghai and Genoa and close to five thousand dollars between Shanghai and Rotterdam.

In detail, transport from the Chinese port to the Ligurian port reached $6,282 per 40-foot container feet, an increase of +21% compared to the previous week. The higher cost of transport to Genoa compared to Rotterdam could depend the diversion of container ships from Suez to the Cape of Good Hope, which penalises the Mediterranean ports compared to those in the North Sea.

Source: https://www.polimerica.it/articolo.asp?id=31159