Will freight rates plunge to all-time lows again?

The danger is there as the shipping industry hits a price hike cap but it could be averted if the biggest players refrain from adding more capacity.

Here's more from CIMB:

Although carriers are still pushing for more rate increases, customers are beginning to resist and capacity is returning in a weak demand environment.

Capacity reinstatements planned for the summer peak are forecast to add 8% to the AE capacity and 6.7% to the TP capacity. The Big 3 (Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM) are not participating in the capacity reinstatements. Meanwhile, the G6 Alliance (HMM, APL, MOL, OOCL, NYK, Hapag-Lloyd) has decided not to launch their seventh AE loop, citing weak market conditions.

If the discipline of the largest players holds, we may not see the return of the extremely low freight rates of 2011 that the industry has just emerged from.