UAE residents who plan to return to their home countries have been told they face high freight charges because shipping costs have increased in the past year, with further rises anticipated.
The price of shipping a six-metre container to the UK is now more than four times higher than it was 12 months ago, logistics experts said.
They said the Covid-19 pandemic affected the supply of shipping tankers and caused a manufacturing boom as pent-up consumer demand soared, pushing charges to a historic high.
The knock-on effect is likely to be felt by consumers as prices increase, particularly in the UAE, where many goods are imported.
There is a lack of available containers because of the huge bottlenecks in China, which has seven of the top 10 largest shipping ports in the world
Matt Stanley,
commodities broker at Starfuels
Families looking to return home will be hit hard.
“Last September a 20-foot container from the UAE to London in the UK would cost around $700, now it is closer to $3,000,” said Simone Percy, managing director of Dasa International Movers in Dubai Investments Park.
“It is basic supply and demand, and everyone has been sitting at home for a year ordering online and that has created a backlog for shipping companies who have put their prices up.”
A ship charter rate index reported by German company Harper Petersen and Co showed costs were seven times higher compared with the rate in June 2020.
Instead of using shipping routes as a unit of analysis, the index weights average daily charter rates across eight size classes of vessels.
To ship a 12-metre container from Shanghai to Los Angeles 12 months ago would have cost less than $2,000. Now the price is closer to $14,000.
Before the pandemic began, it would take ports between 24 and 48 hours to process a shipping vessel, but it now takes five times as long.
In some ports, there are 30 ships waiting to dock because of the backlog.
“Generally, the industry will not expect to see a softening of shipping rates until the end of this year,” Ms Percy said.
“It will impact everyone and likely push up the cost of goods.
"Some people looking to move back home from the UAE will have to decide if it is worth paying these fees to send items back with them.
“Other problems are getting into ports as they are overloaded. We’ve been told delivery trucks are full sending goods to shops, so there is not much space for personal effects.”
The Ever Given container vessel blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March, causing major disruption to the industry. The incident had a significant effect on trade between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“These shipping channels are ageing systems, but still hugely important,” said Matt Stanley, a senior commodity broker at Starfuels in Dubai.
“The biggest ancillary cost on any shipping tanker is fuel.
“In a market that is still recovering, operators are now paying double in fuel to what they were paying 15 months ago.
"There is a lack of available containers because of the huge bottlenecks in China, which has seven of the top 10 largest shipping ports in the world.
“When major cities get locked down, huge numbers of containers are shut in and can’t go anywhere.”
A lack of manpower and pandemic-enforced restrictions in major Chinese manufacturing centres such as Guangzhou and Guangdong increased the pressure on the industry.
Jebel Ali is the largest port in the Middle East, so any disruption is felt in the UAE – a major commercial entry point for the region.
Container prices from Singapore to Dubai have soared from $1,200 in 2016 to about $7,000 today, Mr Stanley said.
“We are still in a pandemic, just learning to deal with it,” he said.
“As so many things are made in China, that means a lot of everyday goods will go up in price.
“If Shanghai and Beijing are locked down entirely, that will have a huge impact on the global recovery.
“Shipping prices could easily go up another 20 to 30 per cent.”
Crude oil carriers, container ships and dry dock cargo ships have all been affected.
Taekwon Kim, commercial general manager at Oman Shipping Company, said basic supply and demand was fuelling the increase in prices to transport goods around the world.
“Costs of container ships and dry dock cargo ships have increased sharply in a short time because of the demand,” he said.
“But crude oil carriers remain a low market.
“Container ships only just broke even in recent years, but now there is huge demand.
“The panic demand for cargo has driven prices up and unbalanced the situation. Shipping companies are making huge money as a result."
The 'Ever Given' leaving the Suez Canal - in pictures
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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New schools in Dubai
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
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Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
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Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
PFA Premier League team of 2018-19
Allison (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
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The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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