The international shipping market still presents great instability and should only return to normal in mid-2023, according to an assessment by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI). The outlook is that it will take several months for levels of congestion, delays and demand for transport to stabilize.

“The risk of a global recession could dampen demand for maritime transport”, explains CNI Infrastructure specialist, Matheus de Castro. “However, new disruptions in global logistics, due to the War in Ukraine, Covid-19 outbreaks in China or any other eventuality, will extend the logistics crisis, as there is no spare capacity in the market to accommodate additional pressures on the supply of transportation services.”

A survey by the entity on the effects of the international logistics crisis triggered by Covid-19 in Brazil and on the world’s main shipping routes shows that the average cost of transporting a container in the global maritime market remained close to US$10,000 at various times 2022, a figure seven times higher than that seen before the pandemic.

As of July 2022, the average cost of container shipping in the global market has reached US$6,500. The value is four times higher than that observed before the pandemic, but represents a 29% drop compared to the end of 2021, when the global average freight was close to US$10,000 per container.

However, the expert emphasizes that the improvement in the Brazilian shipping market still depends on solving logistical problems on the main global routes, which should not occur before next year.