After a period of growth on the transpacific and decline between China and Europe, average spot rates for container shipping are in a phase of relative stability at the end of August. The World Container Index compiled by Drewry shows that the composite index fell by 1% in the 27 August 2026 reading, dropping to $4,473 per FEU from $4,526 the previous week, a reduction of $53. Year on year, the index has more than doubled, with growth of 111%.
The decline is broad-based on the Asia-Europe corridor. The Shanghai-Rotterdam route fell by 3% to $4,287 per FEU, the sharpest weekly drop across the entire basket, down $114 from $4,401 on 20 August. Shanghai-Genoa followed, unchanged at $4,866 per FEU (-2%), while the return leg from Rotterdam to Shanghai moved only marginally, to $588 per FEU. Year on year, however, increases remain substantial: +61% for Shanghai-Rotterdam and +71% for Shanghai-Genoa. The decline on this corridor comes despite an operational context that, in theory, should have supported rates: scheduled blank sailings for the coming week have risen to four from two in the current week, while average vessel waiting times at the port of Shanghai have jumped to 96 hours from 35 hours in the previous reading. Drewry nevertheless expects rates on the route to remain stable in the coming days.
The picture is mixed on the transpacific. Towards the US East Coast, the Shanghai-New York rate fell by 2% to $9,333 per FEU, the largest decline in absolute terms across the entire basket, down $174 from $9,507 the previous week. On the West Coast, by contrast, the Shanghai-Los Angeles route was unchanged at $6,818 per FEU, with a nominal movement of just $16. Year on year, the two routes remain those with the strongest growth in the entire report, at +184% and +192% respectively. Unlike the Asia-Europe corridor, capacity availability on the transpacific is increasing: blank sailings are falling to four for the coming week, from seven in the current week. Demand described as resilient, combined with this easing in cancellations, has led Drewry to forecast less volatile rates in the coming days.
The transatlantic corridor is holding up: the Rotterdam-New York route fell by 1% to $3,010 per FEU, $29 lower than the previous week’s $3,039 (+54% year on year), while the return leg from New York to Rotterdam remained unchanged at $1,126 per FEU, with annual growth of 33%.
In the background, several operational and geopolitical instability factors remain. Uncertainty linked to the Strait of Hormuz has not yet dissipated, while some carriers have cautiously resumed transits through the Suez Canal following more favourable security assessments. Drewry is meanwhile advising shippers to bring forward bookings and allow additional time buffers, in order to reduce the risk of rollovers and transit delays. Low water levels on the Rhine continue to slow inland navigation in Europe and, from September, the Panama Canal will reduce transit capacity because of constraints linked to water availability.
M.G.
