Difalla Abu Aqola, head of the Association of Shipping and Cargo Transport Company Owners in Jordan, was quoted on Saturday as saying that shipping rates from China have recently increased by more than 50%, after the drop in prices recorded last month. He explained that the cost of shipping one container increased to about $3,000 compared to about $1,800 last month. This is bad news for the Jordanian consumer since most of the kingdom’s imports come from China. On the other hand, the shipping cost from Europe, Turkey and India remained at the same level.
Abu Aqola explained that the reasons for the price increase from China are the lack of containers after the return of demand to normal levels, along with the increase in fuel prices. In addition, the head of the Jordanian Chamber of Commerce, Na’el Al Kabrithi, said that the holiday season in China resulted in the freezing of some businesses and a decrease in business activity, which led to the cost of the container being said to be about $3,000.