Consultancy Xeneta says that skyrocketing rates and high shipping volumes, just like the pandemic’s peak times, have caused an early peak season that's hitting shippers hard. Xeneta’s numbers show that spot rates have skyrocketed—up 144% to the US West Coast, 139% to the East Coast, and 166% to North Europe between April 30 and July 1. Peter Sand from Xeneta pointed out that recent conflicts in the Red Sea the Middle East conflict have caused a big mess in the usual patterns of shipping, forwarders try to avoid the delays and forcing shippers to adjust their strategies in an attempt to avoid the delays and high costs reminiscent of the pandemic era resulting in a shift away from conventional seasonal trends..