谨慎对待服务合同谈判

Be cautious about service contract negotiations

在经历了2018年运费大幅波动后,2019年春季,航运公司和进口商将就太平洋东行航线谨慎地开展服务合同谈判,以寻求达成双方都可接受的、能真实反映美国贸易航线供需状况的运费协议。

After enduring extreme rate volatility in 2018, carriers and importers in the eastbound Pacific will enter service contract negotiations cautiously this spring, seeking to achieve mutually agreeable rate levels that truly reflect supply and demand in the largest US trade lane. Lawrence Burns, senior vice president of trade and sales at Hyundai America Shipping Agency, predicted, "There will not be a return to last year". Michael Klage, solutions director at TOC Logistics International, said carriers and importers learned from last year’s roller-coaster ride that low service contract rates in May could result in unusually volatile spot rate adjustments later in the year when carriers manage capacity through ad hoc blank sailings, or by removing entire strings from service. As a result, Klage does not expect beneficial cargo owners(BCOs) will stand firm on "no general rate increase" clauses in their 2019-2020 service contracts as they did last year.