Drewry’s Intra-Asian Container Index (IACI) interrupted six consecutive weeks of declines by recording a 1% increase, standing at 970 dollars per 40-foot container.
The recovery of spot rates is mainly due to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, the resumption of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz and the consequent rise in fuel prices, factors that led shipping lines to apply emergency surcharges.
The rebound in transport costs was concentrated on routes connecting China with South Asia and the Persian Gulf. Rates on the Shanghai–Jebel Ali route rose 7%, reaching 7,143 dollars per 40-foot container, while the Shanghai–Jawaharlal Nehru Port leg increased 8%, settling at 1,767 dollars.
These increases offset the performance in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, where the Shanghai–Laem Chabang and Shanghai–Kaohsiung routes fell 23% and 7%, respectively, helped by lower congestion at their terminals.
Along with geopolitical volatility, the regional maritime market faces severe operational disruptions due to the passage of Typhoons Noul and Bavi in southern and eastern China. At the Port of Shanghai, average waiting times for vessel berthing increased from 77 to 94.8 hours in the last week, adding delays to the supply chain.
Meanwhile, routes from South and Southeast Asia to China kept their rates stable, such as the Ho Chi Minh–Shanghai and Jawaharlal Nehru–Shanghai lines, which were quoted at 65 and 117 dollars per container.
In this context, shipping line PIL announced that it will strengthen its regional network starting in September through the Indonesia Thailand Straits (ITS) service, improving transshipment connectivity between Thailand and Indonesia.
Although the intra-Asian market tends to slow down after the end of the peak shipping season, high fuel costs and persistent uncertainty in the Middle East sustain caution among operators.
Consultancy Drewry projects that freight rates will remain stable in the coming weeks, although it warns that an escalation in international tensions could exert new upward pressure on maritime transport costs.
