While it may sound counter-intuitive, some ocean carriers can in fact quote negative rates, especially when the market is weak.It's important to note that it is usually only the base rate itself that is negative — there are still multiple mandatory surcharges (including THCs) to consider, and once we add them in, the all-in rate will still end up being positive.These negative rates can sometimes be encountered in Xeneta while looking at the Market Low benchmark with either one or both THCs excluded.If that happens, try adding the missing THCs by selecting the OTHC+DTHC option — the total rate should become positive.Why Carriers Quote Negative RatesThere are several reasons why a carrier might choose to quote a negative rate:Trade imbalance. The carrier needs to reposition their empty containers — most common on backhaul trade corridors (Europe to Asia, America to Asia, etc.).Overcapacity. There's too much capacity on the market and rates are cheap to begin with, so the carrier is forced to go low — most common on short haul routes (Intra-Asia).Incentives. The carrier wants to incentivize customers to use their services to either keep or grow their market share — not very common, and can potentially happen on any trade lane.