With U-Freight’s strong presence in the global container shipping arena, we note that global container freight rates edged higher in the final full week of the year, with Drewry’s benchmark index extending a steady upward trend driven by firmer pricing on Asia to Europe and Transpacific routes.
Drewry said its composite World Container Index rose 1 percent to USD2,213 per 40ft container for the week to Thursday, 25 December 2025, marking the fourth consecutive weekly increase. The index, widely used as a reference for index-linked freight contracts, reflects spot rate movements across eight major East West trade lanes.
Operational and market impact
According to Drewry, the latest rise was mainly underpinned by rate increases on Asia to Europe services, where carriers have maintained pricing discipline despite the traditional year-end slowdown.
Drewry reported that spot rates from Shanghai to Genoa climbed 3 percent week on week to USD3,427 per 40ft container, while rates from Shanghai to Rotterdam rose 2 percent to USD2,584 per 40ft container. Drewry said Asia to Europe spot rates have now held stable or increased for four consecutive weeks.
By contrast, Transpacific spot rates paused after sharp gains earlier in December. Rates from Shanghai to New York and Shanghai to Los Angeles were unchanged from the previous week, following double-digit increases recorded earlier in the month.
At the aggregate level, the World Container Index remains well below the extreme highs seen during the pandemic years, but the recent firmness has implications for shippers and forwarders negotiating short-term contracts or index-linked agreements into the first quarter of 2026.
Drewry attributed the resilience in Asia to Europe rates to a shift in seasonal demand patterns. The consultancy said data from the past three years show consistent double-digit month-on-month demand growth in December, establishing strong year-end volumes as a new normal rather than an exception.
Carriers are also reporting early bookings ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, which fall in February 2026. This forward loading is tightening available capacity on some sailings and supporting spot pricing at a time when rates have historically softened.
“Asia to Europe rates have shown unexpected strength for this time of year,” Drewry said in its weekly assessment, adding that it expects “further slight rate increases” on the trade next week as pre-holiday demand continues to build.
For the Transpacific, Drewry said the outlook is more stable. With rates holding flat after recent gains, the consultancy expects prices on routes to the US East and West Coasts to remain broadly unchanged in the coming week unless there is a sudden shift in capacity deployment or demand.
Industry outlook and the broader picture
The latest data underline how container shipping continues to operate under altered seasonal dynamics, shaped by changing inventory strategies, earlier ordering cycles, and ongoing uncertainty in global supply chains.
For cargo owners and logistics providers, the question is whether this late-year firmness carries into the first quarter or fades once Lunar New Year volumes clear. With contract negotiations for 2026 already under way in some corridors, even modest spot rate increases can influence pricing benchmarks and shipper expectations.
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