Asia-Europe box trade imbalance grows ever wider as China’s exports surge
- The Europe-Asia backhaul trade has slumped to one of its weakest points on record due to a widening structural imbalance between booming Asia-Europe headhaul volumes and shrinking eastbound cargoes
- Freight rates have slumped, vessel utilisation continues to fall and service levels have deteriorated sharply
- Since 2020, eastbound volumes have fallen 27%, while headhaul traffic has surged 26%, forcing ever increasing empty container repositioning
Eastbound sailings on the Asia-Europe trade are barely one-third full while rates are anchored at marginal cost or below
