Ocean Freight Rates Keep Climbing — What Does It Mean for Importers and Exporters?

Since the start of Q2 2026, a number of major container carriers have simultaneously announced rate increases on the main trade lanes from Vietnam to North America, Europe and Oceania. This is a notable development for importers and exporters, especially at a time when margins are already under pressure.

1 Why Rates Are Climbing

Several factors are combining to push ocean freight rates up:

• Container equipment supply-demand imbalance at several major ports, driving up the cost of repositioning empty containers.
• Congestion and schedule adjustments caused by geopolitical factors, forcing vessels to take longer routes.
• Fuel costs and surcharges (BAF, peak-season surcharges) that move with world oil prices.
• Seasonal demand spikes ahead of the major shopping periods in Western markets.

2 What It Means for Importers and Exporters

Higher freight rates feed directly into product costs and into the competitiveness of Vietnamese businesses on international markets. For low-value, high-volume goods (agricultural produce, household goods and the like), logistics costs make up a significant share, so a rate swing can erode most of the margin. Longer transit times also raise working capital costs and the risk of late deliveries.

3 What CARIMEX Recommends

To limit the impact of rate volatility, businesses may want to consider:

• Booking early and looking at long-term rate contracts to stabilise costs.
• Optimise how you load — switch flexibly between FCL and LCL and consolidate shipments to use the full container volume.
• Diversifying routes and carriers rather than depending on a single option.
• Keep the surcharges in view — when ocean rates swing, the gap between quotes usually sits in THC, LSS and CIC rather than in the freight figure itself; see the breakdown of charges beyond ocean freight.
• Cut costs at both ends — use off-dock yard storage to avoid container demurrage, and consolidate the road legs under a single provider.
• Using an end-to-end advisory service to stay current on sailing schedules, competitive rates and timely alternatives.

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