According to relevant statistics, the number of naval attacks on merchant ships by the Houthis last month hit the highest level this year. In July, the Houthis launched another series of attacks on ports and cargo ships, and the Red Sea crisis shows no signs of stopping. At the same time, a number of shipping companies issued price increase notices in August, further exacerbating the uncertainty of the shipping market.

       As soon as July began, some well-known shipping companies began to announce an increase in freight rates on August 1, of which the increase in 40-foot containers reached $2,000. Recently, a number of shipping companies have leased ships at high prices, which seems to indicate the optimistic expectations of the market. However, as new ships are launched and capacity increases, and small carriers join ocean routes, it remains to be seen how the actual rate increases.

       A number of well-known shipping lines, including Yang Ming Shipping and ZIM Shipping, issued notices to customers on July 2, announcing that GRI (Integrated Rate Surcharge) will be charged for containerized cargo from the Far East to North America from August 1:

       An additional $1,800 will be charged for each 20-foot TEU.

       $2,000 per 40-foot high cube unit (FEU).

       This move marks a further expansion of freight rate increases and reflects the shipping industry's optimistic outlook for the ocean freight market in the third quarter.

       However, shipping giant Maersk said on July 1 that the coming months will be challenging for shipping companies and businesses as the disruption of container traffic through the Red Sea will continue into the third quarter of this year. According to the analysis of freight forwarding companies, in view of the fact that there are more overtime ships and new routes on the US-West route, the follow-up freight rates may be loosened. The U.S. East China route is facing high sustained upward pressure.

       On the one hand, the crisis situation in the Red Sea region has not been significantly eased and continues to put pressure on global shipping routes. On the other hand, the rebound in consumer demand due to the recovery of economic activity in Europe and the United States, coupled with the impact of the policy of United States and other countries to impose tariffs on imported goods, retailers have advanced to increase inventory to cope with potential market fluctuations, which has directly contributed to the significant growth of export freight volume in Asia. In addition, upcoming collective bargaining in Canada and the East Coast of United States has added uncertainty to the market, which could further exacerbate tensions in global supply chains and could drive near-term freight rates higher. However, according to the current market feedback, some low-value goods have been abandoned due to cost reasons. The person in charge of a super-large freight forwarding company believes that in view of the sharp rise in freight rates on the eastern route of the United States and the successive launch of overtime ships, if there is not enough cargo volume support, freight rates may fall rapidly.

       At present, the global shipping market is in a critical period of multiple challenges and opportunities. Multiple factors, such as the Red Sea crisis, tariff policy and collective bargaining, have a combination of freight rates and market dynamics. In this volatile market environment, enterprises related to automobile export trade need to pay close attention to market changes and flexibly adjust their quotation strategies to cope with various challenges and opportunities that may arise.