SIMIC

ONE-WAY pick-up charges for containers have fallen 70 per cent in China from US$2,730 in September 2021 at their peak to $804, reports Hamburg's Container xChange.
This decline is steeper on the China to the US lane. While the average one-way pick-up charges for a standard container was $2,792 in September 2021 at its peak, it was at $341 in December 2022.
The general trend of average container prices in China for standard containers is on the path towards decline; however, the decline is relatively less steep than that of what we see in the leasing market.
This trend mirrors in the average container prices in the United States too. We witness a global average of $3,300-$3,700 for average container prices in Asia, Europe and the US.
The average prices for all the standard containers in China are declining month on month, reaching below pre-Covid levels. Also, the pickup charges for containers ex China to the US and to Europe continue to free fall. These are sure indicators of the cooling of the cargo market in these stretches.
Overall, Boston remains the most expensive location for container trading globally in December. The average price of a cargo-worthy container at Boston is $3,745 followed by Christchurch at $2,950 and Jeddah at $2,900 in the month of December.
The biggest increase in container prices was witnessed in Northern Europe region, average container prices increase by 23.5 per cent.