The upward trend in container-freight rates that has been seen since the beginning of 2012 and which accelerated in March, especially for Asian traffic, has continued in recent weeks. Already, at the end of March or beginning of April, various shipping lines announced a renewed hike in sea-freight rates from Asia to Europe (Far East west-bound) of roughly US$400/TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), or US$800/40 ft-container, for shipments from May. At least in initial talks, other shipping lines have mentioned similar plans to their clients.