APL: Rates, volumes higher than in 2009

APL: Rates, volumes higher than in 2009    Neptune Orient Lines, the parent of container carrier APL, said it handled 217,500 40-foot equivalent units in the four weeks ending Sept. 17, 6 percent more than in the same 2009 period.
   NOL said the increase was mainly due to higher volumes carried on the transpacific and Asia/Europe trade lanes.
   Rates averaged $3,104 per FEU, 38 percent more than in the comparable 2009 period due to improved freight rates in major trade lanes and peak season surcharges.
   But average rates in the most recent period were $77 per FEU below the average $3,181 rate recorded a month earlier. Liftings were also below the peak of 221,900 FEU in later June and early July.
   “The latest results from APL provide further confirmation of slowing volumes and rate pressure as the overall demand/supply balance shifts against the carrier's favor,” said information service Alphaliner in its most recent newsletter.
   Year to date, APL volumes are 2 million TEUs, 29 percent than in the same 2009 period. Freight rate average is $2,799 per FEU year to date, 21 percent more than the comparable 2009 period.