During the week straddling March and April 2025, average spot rates for container shipping showed sharply contrasting trends depending on the trade lane. Rates between China and Europe, as well as between Europe and the United States, continued to decline. In contrast, the China–US routes experienced a sharp increase, most likely triggered by the announcement—confirmed on 2 April—of higher tariffs on imports into the US, along with a number of sailing cancellations.
According to the World Container Index published by Drewry on 3 April, the spot rate for transporting a 40-foot container from Shanghai to Rotterdam dropped by 3 per cent in one week to 2,304 dollars, representing a 25 per cent fall year on year. The rate from Shanghai to Genoa fell by 4 per cent to 3,031 dollars, down 16 per cent compared to the same period last year. In the opposite direction, from Rotterdam to Shanghai, the decline reached 7 per cent, down to 466 dollars per feu. Transatlantic spot rates were also in negative territory, falling by 2 per cent in both directions between Rotterdam and New York, reaching 2,145 dollars per feu westbound and 831 dollars eastbound.
A completely different picture emerges across the Pacific. The average spot rate from Shanghai to Los Angeles jumped by 10 per cent in a week to 2,726 dollars per feu, although still 26 per cent lower than a year earlier. The rate from Shanghai to New York rose by 8 per cent to 3,894 dollars, down 20 per cent on an annual basis. In the reverse direction, from Los Angeles to Shanghai, the market appears stagnant, with rates slipping by 1 per cent to 705 dollars per feu. Drewry believes the new US tariffs will bring heightened volatility to freight rates.
