Despite the economical downturn and the reduction in overall volume of trading between Asia and Europe, and against most conventional wisdom; the shipping rates of containerized cargo from Asia has kept its very high cost levels following the Christmas 2009 import peak.

As the attached file will show; the shipping lines are utilizing their (greatly reduced) capacity to the maximum and therefore the rates are at the moment about USD 1,000.00 per 40 large container higher than anticipated by most industry experts. On top of the continued inflated rates; the cost of transportation continues to suffer from a weak dollar and high oil price (a related topic), which in combination inflates ocean rates yet further.

Curas is monitoring the situation closely and together with our transportation partners we secure the best possible solutions for long-distance transportation. The strategy to improve packaging systems further is paramount to cost-control, and Curas will continue to prioritize product development related tasks in relation to the cost of transportation, storage and waste handling; to the benefit of our customers and end-users around the world.