Freight costs, which contribute to the total costs of a solar installation, have fallen week by week on commercial lines from the Far East, which means that price increases in the US-related short-term market were registered at the beginning of September.
Freight container shipping rates have fallen week by week, with a peak that was registered at the beginning of September, according to data from Xeneta, a benchmarking platform of the Norwegian ocean and the cargo percentage.
The newest update from Xeneta explains that September brought “Turmoil and Outhaval” to the American short -term market from the Far East, with a considerable jump in spott rates on 1 September and “only turbulence” in the month.
From 2 October, the average spotting rate of the US West Coast from the Far East to the American west coast was $ 1,681 per equivalent unit of forty feet (FEU), compared to $ 2,638 per feu from the Far East to the American east coast. These figures both dropped by 8% compared to the end of August.
The short-term rates for shipment of the Far East to Europe, on the other hand, fell in September in September, based on $ 1,730 per feu from the Far East to Northern Europe from 2 October and $ 2,220 per feu from the Far East to the Mediterranean Sea.
The last analysis of Xeneta adds that the spott rates from Northern Europe to the American east coast from a week ago have fallen by 5.5%, 5.8% from two weeks ago and 10.2% from the end of August, which currently stands at $ 1,648 per feu for a low and lowest point of 21 months since the end of 2023.
Peter Sand, chief analyst of Xeneta, noted that the spot peak in September should act as a reminder that markets are still volatile.
“The cargo percentages will continue a steady decline for the rest of 2025, but there is always the potential for drama on the road,” Sand added. “China has adopted legislation with which they can take countermeasures against any nation that they think against his national trade interests. The lights still flash red on the geopolitical dashboard, so it would be foolish for shippers to believe that there is no potential for more pain if we look ahead to 2026.”
PV -Magazine Previously reported freight costs about 4% of the total costs of a solar panel. Higher freight costs often increase the final price of solar installations, which in turn can make projects more expensive for installers and end users and in some cases can result in logistical challenges and project uncertainty.
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