The container shipping market continued to lose ground in the second week of August, as all main routes registered declines of between 3% and 5%. The composite index fell 3% to 2,350 dollars for a 40-foot container, down 57% compared to a year earlier, Drewry reported on 14 August 2025.
On Asia–Europe services, rates from Shanghai to Rotterdam slipped 3% to 3,176 dollars per feu, while Shanghai to Genoa saw a steeper fall of 4% to 3,084 dollars. Both routes are down 57% year on year, reflecting weaker demand and an oversupply of vessel capacity.
The transpacific picture is no brighter. Shanghai to Los Angeles dropped 2% over the week to 2,494 dollars, while Shanghai to New York recorded the sharpest fall, down 5% to 3,638 dollars. Annual changes for both hover around a 60% decrease, confirming a broad-based downward trend.
Rates on routes into China showed smaller fluctuations: Rotterdam to Shanghai eased 3% to 474 dollars, while Los Angeles to Shanghai held steady at 734 dollars. Year-on-year losses on these trades range from just 1% to 25%, well below the falls seen on the headhaul legs.
Between Europe and the United States, Rotterdam to New York dropped 3% to 1,945 dollars, but the year-on-year decline was marginal at just 1%, indicating relative stability compared with Asia-related services. In the reverse direction, rates slipped by only 1% to 843 dollars.
Overall, the picture is one of widespread rate erosion, with the Mediterranean slightly harder hit than northern Europe, and the US east coast more exposed than the west coast. According to Drewry, the balance between supply and demand could weaken further in the second half of 2025, pushing rates to new lows. Although the pace of weekly declines appears less severe than in previous months, the market remains fragile and vulnerable to fresh shocks from trade policy shifts, demand volatility and a persistent surplus of available capacity.
