ASIA-OCEANIA southbound container volumes have been in decline throughout 2019, a 12-month drop that has not happened in nearly 10 years, says London's Drewry Maritime Research analysts.
The continuous decline started in the last quarter of 2018 when headhaul traffic just dipped into the red. This was followed by a 6.6 per cent decline in the first quarter of this year, with a further 4.2 per cent drop between April and June. Returns for 3Q19 were even worse with a deficit of 6.8 per cent.
By the end of October, data from Container Trade Statistics (CTS) shows that year-to-date volumes from North East Asia had fallen by 5.3 per cent and those from Southeast Asia by 6.2 per cent. At the receiving end, Australian imports - covering 84 per cent of the trade - decreased by seven per cent, while flows into New Zealand actually recorded an increase of 2.9 per cent.
WORLD SHIPPING
The continuous decline started in the last quarter of 2018 when headhaul traffic just dipped into the red. This was followed by a 6.6 per cent decline in the first quarter of this year, with a further 4.2 per cent drop between April and June. Returns for 3Q19 were even worse with a deficit of 6.8 per cent.
By the end of October, data from Container Trade Statistics (CTS) shows that year-to-date volumes from North East Asia had fallen by 5.3 per cent and those from Southeast Asia by 6.2 per cent. At the receiving end, Australian imports - covering 84 per cent of the trade - decreased by seven per cent, while flows into New Zealand actually recorded an increase of 2.9 per cent.
WORLD SHIPPING