Shipping lines strike while the iron is hot

WITH key indices showing rises in freight rates on routes out of Asia into Australia and New Zealand and peak season looming carriers are pushing ahead with rate restorations, peak season surcharges and increases to shore-based charges. 

Sources say imports are gathering speed, as expected, and this is encouraging spot rate quotes to jump hundreds of dollars for some port pairs. Congestion due to weather and other factors in ANZ and East Asia has seen some schedule-sliding taking place, which will add heat to the market. 

The SCFI for Shanghai-Sydney for Week 30 sits at USD 2,064/FEU, up from 2,042/FEU in Week 29 and 1,708/FEU in Week 28. For comparison it was USD 4,294/FEU in Week 2 2025. 

Xeneta’s South East Asia-Australian main ports is USD 1,692/FEU in Week 30, compared to 1,502/FEU in Week 29 and 1,510/FEU in Week 28. Again, for comparison, it was USD 3,228/FEU in Week 2 

As speculated in DCN’s last update, carriers are turning their attention away from the trans-Pacific “and looking for least-worst opportunities” for deployment of tonnage, with Australia “offering some temptation”. 

“We would not be surprised to see some extra-loaders appear soon,” DCN was told, coincidentally as an ANL extra-loader, the 1740 TEU Ela, is a week out from Melbourne on the second of three trips from China, Singapore and China again, spread July-September. 

In latest notifications received: 

Hapag-Lloyd has announced a peak season surcharge for all container types and sailings from Far East, India Sub-Continent and Middle East to Australia of USD 300/TEU, effective 1 August. 

On the same day MSC will apply a rate restoration of USD 300/TEU on all cargo from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia to Australia and New Zealand. 

ANL has a rate restoration of USD 350/TEU dry & reefer, USD 400/FEY dry & reefer and hi-cube, applicable 1 August from North East Asia to New Zealand, and has revised the commencement date of its peak season surcharge of USD 350/TEU, 700/FEU for cargo from South East Asia, the Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East to 8 August, the same date and trade a rate restoration of USD 150/TEU, 300/FEU applies. 

COSCO Shipping has announced adjustments to dry cargo terminal handling charges for Australia southbound/northbound, effective 15 August, which can be found here LocalChargeNotice 20250815.pdf 

And for reefer import export THCs here LocalChargeNotice 20250815 reefer.pdf 

And for the Tasmania Arbitrary Tariff, effective date 10 August, here Notification of Tasmania Arbitrary tariff effective from 10th Aug 2025.pdf 

NPDL will increase NZ THCs on 21 August, “reflecting the increase in cargo handling costs charged by the ports and is necessary to continue delivering a high level of service and reliability”.

The revised rates are as follows and will apply to both imports and exports: