World Container Index – 8 January 2026

DREWRY'S World Container Index (WCI) increased 16% to $2,557 per 40ft container last week.

Drewry World Container Index (US$/40ft)

Our detailed assessment for Thursday, 08 Jan 2026

• The Drewry World Container Index (WCI) increased 16% to $2,557 per 40ft container, mainly due to rate hikes on Transpacific and Asia–Europe trade routes.
• Spot rates on the Shanghai–Genoa increased 13% to $3,885 per 40ft container, while those on Shanghai–Rotterdam rose 10% to $2,840 per 40ft container. This upward momentum was driven by higher FAK rates implemented by carriers.
• Spot rates on Shanghai to Los Angeles surged 26% to $3,132 per 40ft container and those from Shanghai to New York increased 20% to $3,957 per 40ft container. 
• Capacity rose 7–10% MoM on both Asia–North American routes and 5–7% on Asia–North Europe/Med routes in January, while anecdotal information points to soft volumes from Asia to the US, indicating that these large increases appear opportunistic and unlikely to last long.

Source: Drewry World Container Index

Ocean spot market freight rates against 6,700 global port pairs

If you need spot market container freight rate information on other routes to those above, find out more about our Container Freight Rate Insight (CFRI) online service, which covers 6,700 global port pairs updated monthly (2,450 updated fortnightly).