DREWRY'S World Container Index decreased a further 10% to $2,212 per 40ft container this week, primarily due to a drop in rates on the Transpacific and Asia–Europe trade routes.
Source: Drewry World Container Index
Source: Drewry World Container Index
Spot rates on key Asia–Europe trade routes continued to decrease for the second consecutive week, with Shanghai–Rotterdam dropping 9% to $2,510 per 40ft container and Shanghai–Genoa falling 8% to $3,520. Amid declining rates, carriers are adopting divergent strategies for the Suez Canal: CMA CGM is switching 3 Asia–Europe services from the Suez route to the Cape of Good Hope route, while Maersk plans to resume its scheduled service from India to the USEC via the canal starting 26 January.
These conflicting operational decisions suggest that effective shipping capacity will be reintroduced to the market gradually rather than all at once. This 'drip-feed' approach allows carriers to carefully assess risk and adjust their future networks, preventing a catastrophic collapse in spot rates.