Freight rates on China-North America shipping routes have risen sharply in recent weeks as importers from the United States stepped up inventory replenishment and global shipping capacity tightened, said freight forwarders and industry analysts.

货运代理和行业分析师表示，由于美国进口商加大补库存力度，加之全球运力收紧，近几周中国至北美航线的运价大幅上涨。

They said space on US-bound routes has remained in short supply, with most capacity already booked through June.

他们表示，美线舱位持续紧张，大部分运力直至6月已被预订一空。

Freight rates on some routes have jumped more than 50 percent since late April amid strong demand and constrained vessel capacity.

受强劲需求与运力受限的双重影响，自4月下旬以来，部分航线的运价涨幅已超过50%。

At Pros-Forest Logistics, an international freight forwarding company based in Ningbo, Zhejiang province in East China, staffers repeatedly refreshed shipping lines‘ booking systems, closely monitoring the latest slots available.

在位于浙江宁波的国际货运代理公司“普罗森林物流”（音译），员工反复刷新船公司的订舱系统，密切关注最新舱位动态。

Securing vessel space and obtaining empty containers have become the company’s top priorities in recent weeks.

确保舱位和提取空箱已成为该公司近几周的首要任务。

Jiang Lei, the company‘s president, said that since May, shipping routes between China and the US have been fully booked.

该公司总裁蒋蕾（音译）表示，自5月以来，中美航线的舱位已全部订满。

Vessel space has become extremely tight across East and South China, with cargo frequently being rolled over to later sailings.

华东和华南地区舱位极度紧缺，货物经常被延至后续航次。

“Most of the available capacity for June has already been reserved. Overall, the market has returned to the kind of tight conditions typically seen during the peak shipping season，” Jiang said.

“6月的大部分舱位已被预订。总体而言，市场已恢复到航运旺季才有的紧张状态，”蒋蕾说。

At the end of April, the freight rate for a forty-foot equivalent unit from Ningbo to ports on the US West Coast stood at about $2,900, while rates to the US East Coast were around $3,900, she said.

她表示，4月底时，从宁波发往美国西海岸港口的40英尺集装箱运价约为2900美元，发往美国东海岸港口的运价约为3900美元。

Following several rounds of increases, rates have now climbed to nearly $5,000 for the US West Coast and close to $6,000 for the US East Coast.

经过数轮提价后，目前美西航线运价已攀升至近5000美元，美东航线则逼近6000美元。

Meanwhile, several shipping lines are planning further rate hikes on US routes in mid-June, said Jiang.

蒋蕾补充说，与此同时，多家船公司正计划在6月中旬对美国航线进一步提价。

At a warehouse operated by Ningbo Ruiyuan Logistics Co, a freight forwarding company in Ningbo, consumer goods from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are gathered before being shipped to North America.

在宁波货运代理公司“宁波瑞源物流有限公司”的一处仓库，来自江苏和浙江两省的消费品在此集结，随后运往北美。

“From late April to late May, the warehouse handled an average of 70 to 80 FEUs per day, surpassing the shipping peak seen ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday this year，” said Hu Wanying, the company‘s executive vice-president.

“4月下旬至5月下旬，该仓库日均处理70至80个40英尺集装箱，已超过今年春节前的出货高峰，”公司执行副总裁胡倇萤说。

Qian Hanglu, an analyst at Ningbo Shipping Exchange, said that on the supply side, more than 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of container shipping capacity have been stranded in the Gulf due to tensions in the Middle East and disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

宁波航运交易所分析师钱杭璐指出，从供给端看，受中东局势紧张以及霍尔木兹海峡航运中断的影响，超过30万标准箱的集装箱运力滞留在波斯湾。

Meanwhile, the resumption of normal shipping through the Red Sea has been delayed, forcing vessels to continue taking longer routes around the region.

与此同时，红海航线恢复正常的时间被推迟，迫使船舶继续绕行该地区更远的航线。

The decline in vessel turnover has effectively reduced available capacity and added further upward pressure on freight rates, Qian said.

钱杭璐表示，船舶周转率下降导致有效运力减少，进一步加大了运价上涨的压力。

“We have also observed that vessel speeds across the container shipping market have been declining. Shipping companies are slowing down, primarily to reduce fuel costs. This will effectively reduce available global shipping capacity，” she added.

“我们还观察到，集装箱航运市场的船舶航速正在下降。船公司降低航速主要是为了降低燃油成本。这将进一步减少全球可用运力，”她补充道。

Exports from Ning...