Sea freight rises up to 146%: imports from Asia under pressure

From this Wednesday, May 15, sea freight of containers from certain Asian countries will experience an increase of around 100% to 146%. Even if this is a seasonal increase, the impact on the prices of imported products cannot be ruled out.

The president of the Association of Freight Forwarders Professionals (APT), Mahendra Gondeea, warns consumers. In the days to come, we should expect an increase in the prices of commodities, especially those imported from Asia. “We must count on an increase of around 100% to 146% on freight. As an example, he says, a 20-foot container went from $1,300 in March 2024 to $1,500 last April. Now we have been informed that the freight will increase to 3,700 USD from May 15,” he points out. This freight, he continues, also includes a Peak Season Surcharge of 200 USD. “This mainly concerns containers from China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and even India. » According to our interlocutor, the consequences of this increase in freight are obvious. “The increase in freight will be directly reflected in the prices of imported products,” he explains. The reason for this increase, he says, is the long transit time of containers. “With the conflicts in the Red Sea, containers now take 51 days to arrive in Mauritius instead of 25 days,” he points out. Furthermore, he claims that there are currently fewer ships serving maritime routes in the Asian region.

The director of P&P International, Pritam Dabydoyal, warns that the increase in freight will undoubtedly be felt in the prices of imported products. “Containers that are already en route at sea will not be affected by the new freight. But orders that have already been made in advance for which the containers have not yet left the port will definitely be affected by the new freight,” explains the importer. The latter emphasizes that Mauritian importers are already facing a shortage of foreign currency, which has an impact on costs. “Now, the increase in freight comes like a new blow,” he laments. According to him, it is a little early to say to what extent prices will be impacted. “However, it will not be in the order of less than 10%,” he predicts.

The evolution of freight costs