For the first time in decades containerisation is in reversal. As shippers scramble to secure empty containers for their goods and a place on the next ship out of China the capacity crunch means that cargoes are increasingly being shipped on railroads and airplanes out of Asia, while bulk carriers enjoy the return of commodities that had been stolen on main backhaul container trades.

A month of ups

While successfully limiting the vertical increase of transpacific freight rates back in Sep...