According to The Loadstar, container spot freight rates on major east-west trade lanes declined for the third consecutive week as peak-season demand recedes and carriers maintain disciplined capacity management.
East-West Trade Rates Ease Amid Capacity Discipline
Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) recorded week-on-week declines across all three primary east-west routes. The Shanghai-Rotterdam leg dropped 1%, settling at $4,824 per 40ft. The Shanghai-Genoa route fell more sharply — 5% — to end at $5,988 per 40ft. These reductions signal that the 2026 peak season has passed its pricing apex, with forwarders anticipating further gentle declines through late July and into August.
A forwarder told The Loadstar:
“While there are rate reductions, they’re still at a steady pace, with carriers continuing to control allocation agreements – albeit with some flexibility.”
This measured approach contrasts with fears of a precipitous crash, underscoring sustained carrier discipline despite softening demand.
Transpacific Routes Show Broader Softening
The transpacific trade mirrored this trend. The Shanghai-Los Angeles leg declined 6% week on week to $5,878 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New York route registered its first drop since late April — down 4% to $7,598 per 40ft. The Shanghai–US west coast base port rate in the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) fell 3%, and the Shanghai–US east coast route dipped 2%, suggesting continued downward pressure next week.
Linerlytica noted that extra-loader capacity additions have accelerated easing on the US west coast, whereas east coast rates held up better due to limited new capacity. Freight Right, a US west coast forwarder, reported carrier-specific promotions at around $5,000 per 40ft — not market-wide benchmarks — citing carriers’ recognition that prior peak rates near $8,000 per 40ft were unsustainable long-term.
Capacity Adjustments and Market Drivers
Carriers responded proactively to weakening rates with targeted capacity controls. According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, four blanked sailings are scheduled on the Asia–Europe route next week — two more than last week. This reflects a deliberate increase in available capacity amid cooling demand. Drewry projects a slight further decline in rates next week as a result.
Meanwhile, “roll pools” — cargo volumes deferred due to congestion — built up in Chinese ports around mid-June but cleared faster than expected. Typhoon Bavi recently disrupted loading operations at some main Chinese ports, though carriers report roll pools are now “nearly cleared.” As one forwarder observed:
“There are still a few issues in China main ports which vessels are omitting, although I am hearing carriers’ roll pools are reducing and nearly cleared.”
Tariff Uncertainty Looms Over Demand Outlook
A key variable remains the impact of newly announced US tariff levels. Freight Right stated:
“Clarity on impending US tariff policy will be the primary driver over the next one-to-two weeks – a stringent tariff rollout could induce a secondary rush of bookings, whereas mild or delayed updates may prolong the current lull in volume.”
This uncertainty extends beyond transpacific lanes: the Rotterdam-New York transatlantic leg registered its third consecutive weekly decline, ending at $2,635 per 40ft — down 1% from the prior week.
Urgent demand has cooled significantly, as shippers who needed to move goods ahead of peak-season deadlines have already done so. That frontloading effect, combined with rising vessel capacity and disciplined carrier behavior, is driving the current phase of gentle, orderly rate correction — not collapse.
Source: The Loadstar
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
