Water

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 3/1/2000

Ocean shipping rates finally fell in January as average rates for inbound deep-sea transportation dropped 3.8% from December's levels. Thanks to the run-up of the past 12 months, though, inbound rates were still 61.8% higher than they were a year ago. Outbound deep-sea rates in January, meanwhile, fell 10.4% from year-earlier levels. On the Mississippi, rates for coal rose 6.1% from January 1999 to January 2000 and rates for refined petroleum products increased 7.2%. Our forecast calls for overall water rates to rise 4.0% in 2000 after a 7.1% hike in 1999.

% CHANGE VS.: 1 month ago 6 mos. ago 1 yr. ago

Inbound liner -3.8 -1.5 +61.8

Outbound liner -0.5 -6.6 -10.4

Domestic deep sea +0.2 +0.6 +2.2

Grt. Lks.-St. Lawrence 0.0 0.0 -0.3

Mississippi River -2.5 -3.6 +6.1