Harvey and irma tangle shipping
Hurricane related delays continue to frustrate shipping on the Gulf Coast and now on the Eastern Seaboard from Florida to the Carolinas. Port closures, rail delays, truck shortages, and flooded roadways and rail systems are affecting all modes of freight transportation.
The freight market gained steam in July and since then rates have more than doubled for the cape size and panama markets. Daily hire rates in July for cape size were at a low of $6,300 compared to $19,450 this week, while Panamax rates jumped from $4,500 to $10,850. The Supramax and Handysize markets were at $9,900 and $7,350 per day as of Sept. 7.
"The steady improvement in rates over the past 12 months, coupled with regular positional volatility and strong seasonal peaks in the fall and spring, are indicative of the slow and steady improvement in the supply/demand ratio," said MID-SHIP Group in its Sept. 7 newsletter.
The Baltic Dry Index climbed from the 820 July low to 1,296.0 as of Sept. 7. BDI tracks dry-bulk rates based on vessel size and shipping route and is used as a benchmark for overall trade volume. Dry bulk demand is growing at about 3.5 percent year-over-year on strong demand from China.
Florida railroads are making preparations in advance of the expected flooding and damage from Irma, while those in the Houston region are cleaning up from Harvey.
DAT Trendlines reports the national average for flatbeds to increase 2 cents to $2.20 per mile
Trucking firms are concerned about the impact of back-to-back hurricanes on shipping in the Southeast. Storm damage to Georgia or North Carolina is especially worrisome for national distribution centers in Atlanta and Charlotte. With fewer trucks available for freight, regional bottlenecks could last until January, said Troy Cooper, chief operating officer of XPO Logistics, Inc.
"Freight and vehicles where Irma hits will have to be replaced," Steve Tam, vice president of ACT Research, told Trucks.com. "So there will be an increase in the amount of work, but not in the number of vehicles. That will put upward pressure on rates, but it's impossible to know how much and for how long."