Maritime Shipping and the Story of "Sale Hunting" During Peak Season

 15/05/2026

The event of the Drewry World Container Index (WCI) reversing course with a 3% increase in the session of May 7, 2026 — reaching USD 2,286/FEU — marks the end of a short-term downward cycle. This is a direct consequence of major shipping lines (Carriers) implementing the strategy of imposing Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) and Emergency Fuel Surcharges (EFS) from the very beginning of May.

In this context, a common reflex of the Procurement department at exporting enterprises is to increase the frequency of spot rate bidding and shift bookings to Forwarders offering the lowest quotes. However, in the volatile logistics environment of 2026, this "sale hunting" tactic contains structural risks that supply chain managers need to pay particular attention to.

Is the Lowest Freight Rate a Trap Being Set?

In supply chain management, a notion that often recurs during periods of market volatility is the equation of "nominal freight rates" with "total logistics costs." From the perspective of a service provider, Mr. Vo Thanh Nhan, Freight Forwarding Manager at U&I Logistics, points out a risk that few would expect.

According to him, in a stable market, the base rate typically accounts for about 80% of total shipping costs. However, when shipping line alliances simultaneously activate PSS (Peak Season Surcharge) and GRI (General Rate Increase), this structure is completely upended.

At this point, the base rate is only "the tip of the iceberg." Variable surcharges such as BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor), adjusted monthly, and especially the costs arising from delays (Rolled freight cargo), can push the actual total cost 30–45% higher than the initial quote.

Data from the Drewry index in the first week of May 2026 reveals a brutal reality on the Asia–Europe route: The gap between the "most attractive quote on the market" and the actual total cost paid after being rolled twice has reached the threshold of USD 1,800–2,400/FEU. This difference includes:

• Demurrage/Detention fees at the port of departure due to containers not being loaded onto the vessel on schedule.
• Additional storage fees at transshipment warehouses.
• The cost of supply chain disruption: This is the most dangerous variable, potentially leading to penalties for commercial contract breaches or loss of market share at the destination.

During peak periods, the true value of a booking lies in the probability of securing the slot. Forwarders offering extremely low quotes typically rank in the lowest priority group on the shipping line's allocation list. When capacity tightens, these bookings will be the first to be bumped down to make way for shipments with Premium Rates or strategic customers with volume commitments.

Is Peak Season a Racetrack?

During Peak Season, the market prices freight rates based on booking history, the stability of cargo volume, and especially the reputation of the Forwarder with the shipping lines.

A professional Freight Forwarding company during peak season must play the role of a strategic consultant. At U&I Logistics, contracts with shipping lines always guarantee fixed slot allocations, regardless of market fluctuations. Alongside this, a team of experts closely monitors the Drewry WCI index and weekly surcharge movements. As a result, depending on the timing, U&I can either accept higher rates to immediately secure space before PSS is activated, or wait for the appropriate moment to book vessels when shipping lines withdraw the GRI.

Looking back at May 6 — Vietnam Logistics Day — we see a strong transformation. The domestic logistics industry has far surpassed the role of mere transport providers. Companies like U&I Logistics have demonstrated that: In the most stressful market periods, the advisory capability, depth of understanding, and system integration ability of Vietnamese enterprises are fully capable of competing with the "giants" in the market.

How to Manage Logistics During Peak Season

Peak Season is not just a cost challenge but a test of the capability to manage the vendor portfolio. When the market fluctuates with layers of surcharges and accumulating roll-over risks, the strategy of buying at spot rates for every shipment reveals many weaknesses.

Under stable market conditions, driving down prices through three-way RFQs for each booking is a reasonable way to optimize costs. However, when entering the peak phase, customers who buy solely at spot prices always rank at the bottom of the vessel space allocation list. In addition, saving USD 100–200 on the price sheet often leads to having to pay thousands of dollars for additional fees arising from delays and supply chain disruptions.

Instead of focusing on standalone freight rates, the vendor evaluation scorecard needs to prioritize the following factors:

• The ability to secure space.
• The ability to handle force majeure situations.

The appropriate strategy is not to diversify suppliers indiscriminately, but to focus on building sufficiently deep relationships with 2–3 partners who demonstrate stable execution capability, before Peak Season enters its most intense phase at the end of June each year.

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