Container spot freight rates have risen for the first time in four weeks, but the rebound is uneven. Drewry’s latest World Container Index shows a sharper increase on Asia–US routes, while Asia–Europe rates have moved only slightly higher and remain dependent on carrier capacity cuts.
Drewry’s composite World Container Index rose 3% to $2,286 per 40ft container in the week to 7 May, ending three consecutive weeks of decline. The increase was led by the Transpacific, where carriers have introduced emergency fuel surcharges and peak season surcharges.
Rates from Shanghai to New York rose 7% to $3,721 per 40ft container, while Shanghai to Los Angeles increased 5% to $3,062. Drewry said the rise followed the implementation of Emergency Fuel Surcharges and Peak Season Surcharges by carriers on the Transpacific trade.
The picture on Asia–Europe was more subdued. Drewry reported that Shanghai–Rotterdam rates rose 2% to $2,170 per 40ft container, while Shanghai–Genoa increased 1% to $3,075. The smaller gains suggest that the European trades are still under pressure, despite the end of the recent decline in the index.
For shippers, the practical message is that lower spot rates may be becoming harder to secure on some routes, even where underlying demand has not dramatically improved. Carriers appear to be trying to stabilise pricing through a combination of surcharges, blank sailings and tighter capacity management.
That point is important for European importers and logistics providers. If the rate increase is being supported mainly by blank sailings rather than stronger cargo volumes, the market remains vulnerable to renewed pressure when capacity returns.
The Loadstar also reported that the heavy blanking had affected allocations and led to some rollovers, showing that even a soft market can still create operational problems when sailings are withdrawn.
