This week, global container shipping rates increased by 12%, reaching $2,182 for a 40-foot container. This marks the third week in a row rates have gone up, as shipping companies successfully turned around recent drops in prices on both Transpacific and Asia-Europe routes, according to the Drewry World Container Index.
The rise in rates is a significant change from last week, when the rates on the transpacific headhaul route hit their second-lowest level since January 2025. This week, the transpacific routes led the recovery, with rates from Shanghai to New York jumping 19% to $3,293 per container, and rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles rising 18% to $2,474.
Despite shipping companies planning 10 blank sailings next week on the Transpacific route, the demand appears to be stronger than what these cancellations suggest.
The Asia-Europe routes also showed similar improvements, with spot rates from Shanghai to Genoa flying up 10% to $3,314 per container and Shanghai to Rotterdam rates climbing 8% to $2,539. This route has now seen stable or rising rates for three consecutive weeks.
The ongoing upward trend for Asia-Europe routes reflects a change in seasonal patterns seen over the last three years. Drewry noted that demand has grown significantly in December, leading to strong end-of-year volumes that the consultancy refers to as “the new normal.”
With the Lunar New Year approaching in February 2026, shipping companies are already securing early bookings, prompting Drewry to predict more slight rate increases next week.
This current market situation is quite different from just one week ago, when the index on December 11 showed Transpacific rates continuing to drop while Asia-Europe lanes strengthened. Back then, the rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles decreased by 7% to $2,103 per container, as shipping companies struggled to find enough cargo, despite increasing blank sailings.
Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight noted at that time, “While carriers are increasing these cancellations to balance falling spot rates, this strategy is struggling due to low volume,” highlighting a basic volume issue, especially as most Christmas inventory had already been shipped in November.
The quick turnaround in just one week highlights the volatility that continues to impact container shipping markets as the industry adjusts to changing seasonal patterns, manages capacity challenges, and deals with ongoing geopolitical disruptions affecting key trade routes.