High freight, container shortage to hit seafood exports: VASEP
High freight, container shortage to hit seafood exports: VASEP
Rising freight costs and the continuing shortage of containers can severely affect seafood exports, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers has warned.
A container ship docks at Tan Cang Cai Mep Port in Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Dang Khoa.
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It has called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to resolve the problem.
By May, freight costs had doubled for the year at some ports and were up six times from early last year, VASEP said. For instance, refrigerated container freight from Vietnam to the British port of Southampton was $9,100 per container in May as against $5,000 last December.
Many shipping lines increased rate restoration for shipments from Vietnam to Asian destinations to $50-100 per container.
But despite the higher rates, seafood exporters have found it very hard to get containers for hire, VASEP said.
Vietnam’s seafood exports were worth $4.05 billion in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 12.5 percent, according to the General Statistics Office.
