The World Container Index published by Drewry on 18 December 2025 records a weekly increase of 12% in average spot container shipping rates, reaching 2,182 dollars per 40-foot container. This is the third consecutive week of growth and marks an acceleration compared with the increases seen in previous weeks. The year-on-year comparison, however, remains negative, with a decline of 43% compared with December 2024, indicating a market that, despite showing short-term tension, is still operating well below its historical peaks.
The movement of the composite index reflects a combination of seasonal and operational factors. On the one hand, there is the impact of shippers bringing forward cargoes ahead of the Chinese New Year scheduled for February 2026; on the other, the capacity management strategies adopted by carriers are playing a role, particularly through extensive use of blank sailings. According to Drewry, this combination is supporting spot rates across most of the main ocean trade lanes.
On the China–Europe routes, the picture points to a general strengthening, albeit with differences between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The Shanghai–Rotterdam rate rises by 8% over the past week to 2,539 dollars per container, but shows the steepest annual contraction in the region, at 47%. Performance is stronger towards the Mediterranean, where Shanghai–Genoa reaches 3,314 dollars, with a weekly increase of 10% and a year-on-year decline of 39%. This is the highest absolute value among the routes covered by the index. On return legs, Rotterdam–Shanghai posts a modest 2% weekly increase to 476 dollars. In this case, the annual comparison shows a limited decline of 6%, confirming a more stable balance on Asia–Europe backhaul flows compared with eastbound trades.
Transpacific routes between China and the United States recorded the strongest percentage increases during the week. Shanghai–New York jumped by 19% to 3,293 dollars per container, while Shanghai–Los Angeles rose by 18% to 2,474 dollars. Despite these recoveries, both corridors remain sharply down on a year-on-year basis, by 46% and 45% respectively.
The upward momentum on China–US routes is largely attributed to the large number of blank sailings announced by carriers in recent weeks, aimed at tightening vessel capacity and supporting rate levels during a seasonally stronger demand phase. The opposite trend is seen on return flows: Los Angeles–Shanghai remains unchanged week on week at 712 dollars and shows near stability year on year, with a limited decline of 2%.
Transatlantic routes between Europe and the United States display more mixed dynamics than the Asian corridors. New York–Rotterdam rises by 2% over the week to 959 dollars and is the only route in the entire Drewry basket to post a year-on-year increase, at 16%. By contrast, Rotterdam–New York remains stable at 1,642 dollars in the latest weekly reading but shows an annual decline of 39%, reflecting weaker westbound demand compared with 2024.
Overall, the global container freight rate landscape as of 18 December 2025 points to a market experiencing controlled tension. Weekly increases are widespread and, in some cases, significant, but they sit within a context of average levels that remain depressed compared with the previous year. Drewry notes that, in the short term, the combined effect of pre-Chinese New Year shipment pull-forward and restrictive capacity management should continue to support spot rates, albeit with more moderate increases than those seen on transpacific routes in the past week.
