As anticipated by analysts, the decline in average spot rates for container shipping persisted through the last week of January 2025, though at a reduced pace compared to the previous week, when rates between China and Europe plummeted by double digits. Data from the World Container Index, published by Drewry on 30 January, indicate a weekly contraction of 4% on the Shanghai-Genoa route, bringing the rate for a 40-foot container to $4,400, and a 1% drop on the Shanghai-Rotterdam route, reaching $3,274. Conversely, in the opposite direction, the rate rose by 1% to $518.
A similar trend was observed in transatlantic freight rates from New York to Rotterdam, which increased by 2% in a single week to $839. However, the rate between the Dutch port and its US counterpart declined by the same percentage to $2,732 per feu. Rates also fell across the Pacific: those between Shanghai and Los Angeles and between Shanghai and New York dropped by 1%, settling at $4,771 and $6,288 per feu, respectively. The rate from Los Angeles to Shanghai remained stable at $721. Drewry expects the downward trend to continue in the coming weeks due to an increase in available shipping capacity.
