Convert to PDFGlobal container freight rates continued to sky-rocket into the new year as major freight companies applied surcharges for premium service that some are calling ‘extortionate’. Early January discussion with two major importers to Australia included comments that they were required to pay additional fees just to have the… Read More
BREAKING: Australian log exports crashed in December
Convert to PDFIndustryEdge advises that Australia’s log exports fell to a five-year low in December 2020, down 47% on the prior December and totalling just 196,519 m3. The dramatic fall saw exports 34% lower than for November, which was itself 32% lower than exports in October. The average export price… Read More
NZ log exports down 6.3% in 2020
Convert to PDFNew Zealand’s log exports declined 6.3% in 2020, falling to 20.080 million m3 in the tumultuous year. As the year drew to a close, exports in December totalled 1.845 million m3, down 4.4% on the prior month but a solid 8.6% higher than exports recorded in December 2019. Read More
Converted Products Update
Convert to PDFMoulded Fibre Products Imports The value of Australia’s Moulded Fibre product imports continued to increase across the year ended November 2020. Up 5.9% across the year, total imports were valued at AUDM39.7, compared to the AUDM37.5 imported in the prior year. Used for a variety of purposes, including… Read More
Shipping & Freight: Ocean freight rates at record levels
Convert to PDFOcean freight rates at record levels: premium surcharge impact Global container freight rates continued to sky-rocket into the new year as major freight companies applied surcharges for premium service that some are calling ‘extortionate’. Early January discussion with two major importers to Australia included comments that they were… Read More
Woodchip exports lift to year-long high, some hardwood producers expand positions
Convert to PDFAfter almost a year in which Australia’s hardwood chip exports were in decline, November saw exports top 400,000 bone dried metric tonnes (bdmt) for the first time in a year. Exports totalled 416.4 kbdmt, up 38% on the prior month. There is something of a détente operating in… Read More
RCPs: China trade ending with a whimper as Indonesia steps to the plate
Convert to PDFAustralia’s recovered paper exports totalled a stable 88.4 kt in November as shipments to China fell away in preparation for the import ban that commenced on 1st January 2021. Shipments to China plummeted to 8.7 kt (down 71% on the prior month), as those to Indonesia more than… Read More
Pulp Market: Softwood prices lift sharply as market turns
Convert to PDFBleached softwood kraft (BSK) pulp prices rose significantly in December, as a variety of factors impacted the market. Producers appear to be short on supply, perhaps even more than normal due to the market asymmetry that the pandemic has imposed. In addition, demand has grown in recent weeks,… Read More
Economics: A little help please… local currencies at 3-year highs
Convert to PDFThe Australian dollar lifted to a three year high in mid-January as the strength of local conditions relative to the rest of the world continued to distinguish themselves. On 14th January, trading at USD0.7751, the Australian dollar appeared to be temporarily settled around the USD0.7700 mark. Although there… Read More
Fibre-packaging for food lifts ‘specialties’ to a new level
Convert to PDFIn part driven by sustainability, global food businesses and brands are increasingly focussed on shifting their packaging to fibre and away from less sustainable offerings. While that is a welcome – some say overdue – direction, the reality is that some grades of fibre packaging, specialty papers and… Read More