In the week bridging August and September, spot rates on the main global container routes moved in diverging directions: while China-Europe lanes extended the sharp declines seen in recent weeks, transpacific routes gained ground, and transatlantic services remained steady. The picture emerges from Drewry’s latest World Container Index, published on 4 September 2025. This divergence has brought a temporary stabilisation of the composite index, which averages all the routes covered. After eleven consecutive weeks of decline, the index fell by only one per cent compared to the previous week, yet it remains well below year-earlier levels, down 56 per cent on an annual basis.
Looking more closely at individual trades, Asia-Europe services continued to lose ground. The Shanghai–Rotterdam route dropped by 10 per cent to 2,385 dollars per feu, while Shanghai–Genoa fell by 7 per cent to 2,653 dollars per feu. Despite resilient demand and port congestion that in other circumstances might have pushed rates higher, the decisive factor remains excess capacity injected by carriers, exerting persistent downward pressure. On a year-on-year basis, Asia-Europe rates are now 58.5 per cent lower than in 2024, and Drewry expects further declines in the weeks ahead.
Across the Pacific, the trend was markedly different. Rates from Shanghai to the US West Coast rose by 8 per cent to 2,522 dollars per feu, while those from the Chinese hub to New York surged by 12 per cent to 3,677 dollars per feu. The rebound marks a significant break from the prolonged downward trend, though questions remain over its sustainability. Without further capacity cuts, current levels may prove hard to maintain, particularly once the seasonal slowdown of China’s Golden Week takes effect. Even so, transpacific rates remain 57 per cent lower than a year ago, underlining how far the market has shifted since the 2024 peaks.
Transatlantic routes showed greater stability. The Rotterdam–New York service held steady at around 1,950 dollars per feu, with no significant week-on-week movement and a moderate 12 per cent annual decline. In the opposite direction, rates remained compressed and largely static: 461 dollars per feu from Rotterdam to Shanghai, one per cent lower year on year, and 720 dollars per feu from Los Angeles to Shanghai, up one per cent on the week. On average, backhaul rates to Asia stayed broadly in line with recent weeks but were still down 12 per cent on a yearly comparison. The New York–Rotterdam service was more dynamic, slipping by one per cent week on week but showing a 15 per cent increase compared with last year, the only positive figure in annual terms.
According to Drewry’s Container Forecaster, the second half of 2025 will see the demand-supply balance weaken again, generating renewed downward pressure on spot rates. Volatility will largely hinge on the evolution of US trade policies and the still uncertain impact of potential sanctions targeting Chinese vessels. Overall, early September conveys the image of a market in suspension: the transpacific rebound has prevented the World Container Index from sliding further, but the underlying trend remains fragile and heavily exposed to external factors.
