Ocean container shipping demand from China to North America and North Europe continued to break records in June as importers rushed to protect supply chains amid the global disruption caused by conflict in the Red Sea.
The latest data, released this week, shows 800 000 TEU (20ft equivalent container) were shipped from China to North Europe in June, which is the highest ever monthly figure on this trade (Source: Xeneta, Container Trades Statistics).
Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst, said: “Conflict in the Red Sea has brought a major shift in the traditional seasonality of ocean supply chains, with concerned shippers rushing to import as many goods as they can earlier in the year.
“Shippers assessed the impact of the Red Sea conflict on ocean supply chains and are not prepared to take the risk of repeating the chaos of the pandemic years – meaning we have seen record-breaking volumes on major fronthaul trades out of China ahead of the traditional peak season in Q3.”
