It's the first of the month, which means most carriers running Asia–Middle East lanes have already issued their June General Rate Increases. Here's what that means for any booking still sitting between quote and B/L.
If you booked an Asia–Middle East container last week and the bill of lading hasn't been issued yet, your "all-in" quote may already be 10–20% lighter than what hits the invoice. Carriers announce GRIs mid-cycle; forwarders pass them on at sailing. Quotes don't always survive the gap between confirmation and B/L.
Three questions to ask your forwarder this morning
Before you confirm a booking, get clean answers to these:
- Is this rate locked through B/L issuance, or only through booking confirmation? A booking confirmation is not a price lock. The lock window matters more than the base rate.
- Which surcharges are in scope — BAF, LSS, ISPS, ENS — and which float month to month? Bunker, low-sulphur, security, entry-summary — each is a separate line. "All-in" without itemisation is a number, not a quote.
- If a GRI hits before sailing, who absorbs it? Some forwarders absorb the move; most pass it through. Knowing in advance is the whole point.
A clean answer to all three takes moments. If you don't get one, you're signing for variable pricing without knowing it.
Booking this week?
Send us your origin, commodity, and sailing window. We'll put the rate stack in writing — every surcharge, every lock window, every assumption — before you confirm anything.