(Yicai) April 8 -- The shipping prices at various Chinese agents have remained stable this month, after leading shipping companies hiked their prices around Asia last month.

The shipping industry is still facing excessive supplies and will likely lack momentum for further price hikes for at least the next two to three upcoming quarters, insiders told Securities Times today.

Hapag-Lloyd announced on March 18 that the German shipping giant would raise the fare for small and large containers on the routes from Asia to Latina America, the Caribbeans, and Central America by USD700 and USD900, respectively, from April. Maersk, MSC, Wan Hai Lines, HMM, and other shipping firms also hiked their prices around that period.

Shipping prices for US routes increased in early March but began to fall in late March and have remained stable since then, said Xia Haofei, founder of Canadian logistics firm Eztrans Logistics. The fares are expected to fall to some extent this and next month, he noted.

Since the beginning of the year, shipping needs have not increased, so the price hikes from early March did not really match supply and demand rules, said Liang Jun, sales director at Shenzhen Xinfengda Cross-Border Supply Chain. “Our clients are mostly cross-border e-commerce sellers, and our container and shipping spaces are more than enough to meet their demand,” Liang added.

Editor: Futura Costaglione