APL’s rates, volumes still increasing

APL’s rates, volumes still increasing    The average revenue per forty-foot equivalent unit of APL rose 7 percent in the four-week period ended Sept. 17 to $2,920, from $2,727 in the same period in 2003, as the Singapore-based shipping company also reported a 16-percent rise in volume to 142,100 FEUs for the four-week period.
   Neptune Orient Lines, parent company of APL, said the increase in unit revenue was the result of “a combination of actively managing cargo mix as well as continuing seasonal surcharges and rate increases.”
   Average freight rates at APL take into account all trade routes and may be affected by a change in the mix of cargoes.
   The average revenue per FEU for August was also 2 percent higher than in July and 15 percent higher than in February, an off-peak month.
   Commenting on its volume growth for the latest reporting period, NOL said its 16-percent year-on-year traffic increase resulted from sustained healthy utilization rates during the current peak season and the additional capacity introduced on major trading routes this year.