Drewry's Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI) fell $26 to $1,478 per 40ft container in its 5 November assessment1. Its World Container Index (WCI) held the Shanghai to Los Angeles lane unchanged at $7,539 per 40ft, while Shanghai to New York slipped 3% to $9,3032.
The gap matters for buyers. Regional Asian bookings are getting cheaper as Chinese port queues shorten. US-bound rates are broadly flat, and ICIS said both coasts remain near the highest since mid-20222, 3. Carriers have also announced rate increases and surcharges for November and December4, 5.
| Benchmark | Scope | Level | Weekly move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drewry IACI | 18 intra-Asia routes, $ per 40ft | $1,478 | -$26 |
| Drewry WCI | 8 East-West lanes, 4 ex-Shanghai, $ per 40ft | $4,389 | -1% |
| Drewry WCI Shanghai to Los Angeles | transpacific, $ per 40ft | $7,539 | unchanged |
| Drewry WCI Shanghai to New York | transpacific, $ per 40ft | $9,303 | -3% |
| ICIS east Asia and China to US West Coast | spot assessment, $ per FEU | $7,540-8,340 | low end higher |
| ICIS east Asia and China to US East Coast | spot assessment, $ per FEU | $9,300-11,500 | low end slightly lower |
Intra-Asia: queues shorten, Singapore tightens
The composite fell even as several lanes rose. Shanghai to Singapore gained 9% to $2,064 per 40ft, and rates from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai also increased, Drewry said1. Rates to Jakarta fell 8% to $2,538 and to Busan 2% to $1,1321.
Drewry tied the declines to clearing congestion. Average vessel waiting time at Shanghai eased from 36 to 35 hours, and Qingdao improved from 35 to 23 hours in Week 441. Congestion at Singapore, a major transhipment hub, intensified1. Shanghai to Jebel Ali stayed high at $8,199 per 40ft on Middle East tension1.
Drewry expects intra-Asia rates to stay broadly stable in the coming weeks1. It also flagged new capacity: OOCL will start a China to Indonesia service, CIS4, on 22 November 20261. The IACI is still around 135% higher than a year earlier1.
Transpacific: flat index, broadly stable spot assessments
Drewry's global WCI slipped 1% to $4,389 per 40ft, with the decline driven by the transpacific and Asia-Europe2. Three blank sailings are announced for next week, down from five this week, and Drewry projects lower rates next week6.
The ICIS assessments show a broadly stable picture. ICIS put east Asia and China to the US West Coast at $7,540 to $8,340 per FEU, with the low end higher3. East Coast rates were $9,300 to $11,500 per FEU, with the low end slightly lower3. Those are spot assessments across east Asian origins, not a single-lane index3, 2.
Other benchmarks for the same week also split. The SCFI fell 1.46%, its first drop after four weeks of gains, and the NYSHEX index rose 1.3% to the West Coast3. Freightos was flat to the West Coast and fell 6% to the East Coast3. The WCI is 124% higher than a year earlier2.
What could move the next reading
Hapag-Lloyd will apply a general rate increase of $1,000 per container from the Indian Subcontinent, Pakistan and the Middle East to North America, for containers gated in full from 1 December 20264. Maersk's revised peak season surcharge applies from 8 November on cargo from the Indian Subcontinent to the US and Canadian East and Gulf coasts5. It will charge $3,850 per container from Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Pipavav, Hazira, Nepal and Bhutan. Cargo from east and south India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives pays $4,200. All ports are covered except Houston. The revision covers non-spot bookings only5.
On the demand side, Xeneta expects spot rates to fall about 30% over 2027 as Suez Canal returns release capacity7. It said 600,000 teu has already been released7. Xeneta also warned that a renewed deterioration in the Red Sea could force carriers back to Cape of Good Hope diversions and push rates up7. Drewry listed a potential watchmen's strike at Los Angeles and Long Beach as a risk6.