Record Levels Of Demand For Ocean Freight
Global demand for ocean freight continues to be strong, with a recent container trade statistics report confirming that May was a record-breaking month.
The report, shared in The Loadstar this month, confirmed that a record-breaking 15.94 million TEU’s of ocean freight was shipped globally in May. This surpassed the previous record of 15.72 million, which moved in May 2021 at the height of post-pandemic demand.
Asian exports naturally featured high in the report, where Chinese exports also broke a record. China’s output reached a record-high 6.2m TEU in May, which equates to 39% of global ocean freight trade.
Some industry experts have been predicting an early peak-season from Asia this year and the trend for importers to book early may have contributed to May’s high volumes.
This theme has been particularly evident in the online and high street retail sectors, where concerns over disruption later this year has led to early orders ahead of the busy sales periods of Black Friday and Christmas.
