Introduction:
At a regular press conference held on July 29, Sun Wenjian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport, stated that sea freight prices continued to rise in the first half of this year. Respond to issues such as missing boxes and cabins.
At the press conference, a reporter asked: “In the first half of this year, the international container liner market was very hot. It is difficult to find a cabin or a box. Freight rates continue to rise. Can you please provide a detailed introduction to the Ministry of Transport’s response measures?”
Sun Wenjian said that after various efforts, the major liner companies have invested more space in the first half of this year. The numbers are growing significantly.
Among them, the capacity of North American routes increased by 55% compared with the same period in 2020, and the capacity of European routes increased by 30%. In June, the shortage of empty containers at my country’s major ports was 1.4%, a decrease of 12.2 percentage points from the beginning of the year.
“This shows that the shortage of empty containers has been effectively alleviated.” Sun Wenjian believes.
At the same time, in the first half of this year, the total value of my country’s import and export of goods trade was 18.07 trillion yuan, an increase of 27.1% and 22.8% respectively compared with the same period in 2020 and 2019. Among them, exports were 9.85 trillion yuan, an increase of 28.1% and 23.8% respectively compared with the same period in 2020 and 2019.
The above data shows that my country’s foreign trade situation continues to improve. At the same time, it also promotes a substantial increase in demand for international container transportation.
The recurrence of overseas epidemics has led to a sluggish international logistics supply chain, reduced transportation efficiency, and a shortage of ship capacity and empty containers. Especially since April, affected by emergencies such as the Suez Canal blockage and the outbreak of the epidemic in some countries, the transportation capacity of major routes, including my country, has continued to be tight, and the supply and demand of transportation capacity have been seriously imbalanced, making rising freight rates a common phenomenon around the world.
“Currently, the freight rates on major routes in most surrounding countries are higher than those in my country.” Sun Wenjian said.
Sun Wenjian further introduced that in response to the many problems currently faced by the shipping industry, the Ministry of Transport, together with the Ministry of Commerce and other ministries, has taken measures to ensure the smooth flow of my country’s shipping. Specific measures include:
First, prevent the epidemic. Strictly implement the requirements for “foreign prevention of imported cases” and guide local transportation authorities to coordinate work related to epidemic prevention and control and ensuring smooth transportation.
The second is to improve efficiency. Actively guide international liner companies to increase the transport capacity and container supply of mainland China’s export routes and improve container transportation efficiency. Among them, in the first half of this year, the shipping capacity of the North American route reached 6.88 million TEUs, an increase of 55% and 26% respectively from 2020 and 2019; the transportation capacity of the European routes reached 4.3 million TEUs, an increase of 30% from the same period in 2020 and 2019. and 7%. At the same time, liner companies are encouraged to use general cargo ships, special ships and other transport containers to increase the supply of transportation capacity when safety is met.
The third is to increase production capacity. Actively cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to coordinate my country’s box-making enterprises to increase production efforts. At present, my country’s monthly container production capacity has increased from 200,000 TEUs in the past to a record high of more than 500,000 TEUs. In June, the shortage of empty containers in my country’s major ports was 1.4%, a decrease of 12.2 percentage points from the beginning of the year.
The fourth is strong cooperation. Promote cooperation between port and shipping enterprises and import and export enterprises. Encourage liner companies and cargo owners to actively sign long-term transportation contracts to provide stable supply chain service guarantees. In order to respond to the transportation needs of small and medium-sized customers, we coordinate active services such as COSCO Shipping Group and provide special transportation services to small and medium-sized cargo owners through the opening of multiple new service lines.
Sun Wenjian also said that in the next step, the Ministry of Transport will continue to work with the Ministry of Commerce and other departments to implement measures related to stabilizing foreign trade to ensure the stability and smoothness of the international logistics supply chain. </p
