Litchi: Supply of litchi to the European market in May was slightly larger and more varied than in April, which marked the start of the Thai export season. Thailand continued to ship litchi to Europe throughout the month, essentially by sea. A few occasional batches from Mexico and China complemented supply. Weak demand for the fruit gave litchi the role of niche market tropical fruit. It also caused prices to fall-more markedly in the second half of the month. Mango: Market conditions worsened markedly throughout May. The reason was not so much the volumes arriving (about 150 containers per week) but the distinct slowing of demand. Furthermore, multiple sources, a broad range of varieties and very uneven quality strongly contributed to the weakening of prices. The series of public holidays in May also shortened the sales period at a time when competition from the season's fruits was increasing. Pineapple: The situation on the pineapple market was satisfactory as a whole in May. Supply from Latin America was more limited and, without being exceptional, demand was sufficient to ensure smooth sales. As at the end of April, sales on the air pineapple market were more steady and prices higher, in particular as a result of limited supply, whatever the source. However, the situation was much more complicated for Victoria' pineapple, which is suffering from waning interest. Sea freight: The most significant feature of May for reefer owners and operators had little to do directly with the specialised reefer business. As the oil price started to rise, the cost of bunkers increased 20% over the course of the four weeks. With very little change in the box rate for voyage fixtures between the beginning and end of the month the average TCE calculation suffered, particularly for older units.