INSEAD Day 4 - 728x90

Samsung biggest chip investor

The tech giant invested nearly $59.2bn in 2025.

flynas to set up new hub

Five destinations in first phase of operations.

AD Ports Group acquires CLI

CLI is Brazilian agri-bulk terminal operator.

$1.59bn Makkah project awarded

A consortium will develop two districts in the Holy City.

2PointZero posts profit surge

Growth driven by merger consolidation.

Why are global freight rates so high?

A number of factors are contributing to the rise in global freight rates.
  • The global shipping industry suffered like every other industry in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic
  • It was expected to bounce back like all of them, and thereby spearhead the global economic recovery

As the world looks to pare an oncoming wave of inflation, it is facing headwinds from high freight rates that are currently prevalent all across the globe.

The global shipping industry suffered like every other industry in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was expected to bounce back like all of them, and thereby spearhead the global economic recovery.

However, a number of factors are affecting that recovery, not the least of which is uncertainty in the global shipping sector.

That uncertainty itself is fueled by high freight rates, and indications are that those rates are not coming down any time soon.

Here’s why the freight rates are so high, and what that trend may lead to in the coming months or years: