04 сентября 2024 — 15:09
The cost of shipping from China to the port of Vladivostok has doubled. This is due to the shortage of empty containers that accumulate in Russia and stand idle for weeks, waiting for reloading. Izvestia writes about this with reference to logistics companies, RIA Novosti reports.
The cost of sea delivery from China to the port of Vladivostok doubled in August – to 4-4.5 thousand dollars per container 40 DC/HC, and by rail – by 31%, to 7.5-8 thousand. In addition, the average waiting time for an empty container and free space on the ship has increased to 2.5 weeks.
The cost of sea freight is constantly changing, it is impossible to fix the tariff for a long time. Market participants attribute the price increase to a shortage of containers, which arose due to an imbalance in the flow of imported and exported goods between the Russian Federation and China, as well as due to the difficult situation with shipping in the Red Sea.
The volume of consumer goods from China is much larger than the similar flow from Russia to China. As a result, containers accumulate in Russia, and suppliers have to wait until they return to China. They are not taken back empty, which is why there is a shortage of containers in China, which affects the price of its rental and delivery.
The turnover of containers is influenced by other factors, including international ones. Sea carriers have increased the rotation time of ships by bypassing Africa, past the Suez Canal, around the Cape of Good Hope. This led to delays of two to three weeks in the return of containers to China and Southeast Asia, which, in turn, created a shortage of empty containers at the ports of departure.
The reorientation of goods from ships to railway transport causes queues at border crossings from China. Shipping from a number of railway stations is delayed by almost three weeks due to accumulated containers. The timing of crossing auto crossings at the borders between the PRC and the Russian Federation is also increasing. For example, queues of up to seven days are observed at the Zabaikalsk checkpoint for arrival in China.
In turn, the Federal Antimonopoly Service reported that the agency did not make decisions on the revision of tariffs for the transportation of goods in containers. The Service constantly monitors prices for transportation by all modes of transport, and if an increase is recorded, it will analyze its causes and validity.
Domestic companies are looking for alternative routes through Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and are reorienting to suppliers from India and South Korea.