“For the high-flying spot rates from Far East to US East and West Coasts, we may just begin to see the end of that rising trend as we get into the first half of October. When comparing today’s spot rates to the level experienced on 1 July – shippers are paying on average $2,691 (+31%) and $1,280 (+18%) per FEU more.

For containerized goods moving on the short-term market into North Europe and the Mediterranean, where freight rates have been declining since 1 July, by 29% ($1,590 per FEU) and 38% ($2,650 per FEU) respectively, early October may provide a short pause before a resumption of the falling trend.

“Still, several operational curve balls have been thrown at the container shipping market in the past months – each one of which was unable to rattle the networks to the extent we see today independently – but the sum and compounding nature of all of them has done exactly that.

“This is why shippers who are about to start tendering for 2027 contract volumes find themselves in an uneasy position. While the contracted rates they aim for are a far cry from the currently red-hot spot market, they cannot fully dismiss the market conditions as something that will go away soon.

“They need to assess the disruptive elements individually, set them up against their transportation needs and consider what it means to them at a company level. Not only in monetary terms but also operationally. This is where Xeneta’s market intelligence is second to none.”

Data highlights
Market average spot rates – 24 September 2026:
• Far East to US West Coast: USD 8,255 per FEU (40ft container)
• Far East to US East Coast: USD 11,445 per FEU
• Far East to North Europe: USD 3,945 per FEU
• Far East to Mediterranean: USD 4,369 per FEU
• North Europe to US East Coast: USD 2,970 per FEU
US vs Europe divergence since 1 July:
• Far East to US West Coast: +18.4% (USD +1,280 per FEU)
• Far East to US East Coast: +30.7% (USD +2,691 per FEU)
• Far East to North Europe: -28.7% (USD -1,590 per FEU)
• Far East to Mediterranean: -37.8% (USD -2,650 per FEU)
• North Europe to US East Coast: +16.1% (USD +411 per FEU)

Source: Xeneta