Archives
Feature, Freight News, Logistics, Sea
Box Rates Rise as Disruptions Drive Divergence
[ March 25, 2026 // Gary Burrows ]Global container shipping rates continued to rise across major benchmarks, but market signals from Drewry and Xeneta point to diverging dynamics between stable capacity on some lanes and tightening conditions driven by geopolitical disruption and congestion.
Drewry’s World Container Index for the week of March 19 increased 2 percent week over week to US$2,172 per forty-foot container (FEU), marking a third consecutive weekly gain, led by Transpacific rate increases and supported by carrier capacity management and fuel surcharges. Asia-Europe spot rates remained relatively stable, while transpacific lanes saw stronger gains, with Shanghai-New York up 7 percent and Shanghai-Los Angeles up 4 percent.
By contrast, Xeneta data shows broader volatility across key fronthaul trades tied to disruption in the Middle East for the week of March 20. Spot rates on Far East to North Europe rose 22 percent month over month to US$2,705 per FEU, while Far East to Mediterranean climbed 26 percent to US$4,211 per FEU. Far East to US lanes also increased 12 percent to 13 percent over the same period.
Xeneta highlighted a sharp surge on India-related routings, with China to Nhava Sheva spot rates rising nearly 70 percent month over month to US$2,305 per FEU, reflecting rerouting and transshipment adjustments as shippers avoid Gulf ports. The spread between low and high market rates widened significantly, indicating competition for scarce capacity.
Both analyses point to overlapping drivers behind rising costs, including geopolitical instability in the Middle East, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the resulting increase in fuel surcharges imposed by carriers such as CMA CGM and Maersk.
However, Xeneta emphasized operational stress across the network, including port congestion at major Asian transshipment hubs such as Singapore, Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas, along with deteriorating schedule reliability and longer transit times. Drewry, in contrast, pointed to relatively steady capacity on Asia-Europe lanes, with only limited blank sailings reported in the near term.
Together, the data suggests a bifurcated market: Transpacific and geopolitically exposed trades are experiencing upward rate pressure and tighter conditions, while some Asia-Europe capacity remains comparatively balanced, even as carriers continue to push general rate increases and fuel surcharges across trade lanes.
