Freight Rate Weekly: Carriers Push Asia-Europe FAK to $4,500 From 19 October
Freight Rate Weekly: Carriers Push Asia-Europe FAK to $4,500 From 19 October
Executive Summary
Four carriers file new Asia-Europe rates on the same day, while Drewry spot sits up to $1,101 lower on the same lane.
| $4,000/FEU |
| $4,200/FEU |
| $4,500/FEU |
| $4,600/FEU |
| $3,399/FEU |
| 32% |
| 24% |
| 68% |
Overview
Here are the numbers. Maersk filed $4,000/FEU from Asia base ports to North Europe, running 19 October 2026 to 14 November 2026. Hapag-Lloyd filed $4,200/FEU to North Europe from 19 October 2026 until further notice. MSC filed $4,500/FEU to North Europe, and CMA CGM filed $4,600/FEU to the West Mediterranean. All four land on the same date. Against Drewry spot of $3,399/FEU to Rotterdam, MSC sits 32% above the market, and CMA CGM sits 24% above Shanghai-Genoa.
Put simply, this is not one carrier testing the water. Four carriers moved inside the same week, and the windows are short. CMA CGM and MSC both stop at 31 October 2026. Hapag-Lloyd runs until further notice. Only Maersk extends to mid-November. If you have an Asia-Europe booking for late October, check which carrier window your sailing falls in before you argue the rate.
Surcharges sit on top of all of it.
Key Details
MSC added three surcharges on this round: a carbon limit surcharge of $20 per TEU, a carbon review surcharge of $88 per TEU to North Europe and $128 per TEU to the Mediterranean, plus a piracy risk surcharge of $55 per TEU and a Suez Canal surcharge of $36 per TEU on services routed through the canal. Watch out for that. It is not a small number, and it is not in the FAK line.
What decides whether the increase holds is supply. Drewry's Container Capacity Insight counted 13 blank sailings on the transpacific this week and 10 next week, with Asia-Europe at 6 and then 5. Here's the thing: fewer blank sailings means more capacity back in the water. Asia-Europe spot has fallen for 12 straight weeks. Suez adds to it. Week 39 transits ran 68% above last year, and the Premier Alliance is moving its FE1 South East Asia to North Europe loop back through the canal, with the roughly 8,100 TEU ONE Continuity expected at the canal on 9 November 2026 and at Rotterdam on 19 November 2026.
A shorter round trip is free capacity. You do not need a new ship to get it.
Looking Ahead
Our read is that these filings land only partly. Drewry said as much: carriers are trying to reverse the slide with high second-half-October FAK quotes, success is not certain, and the next reading is still expected to fall. Bottom line: if your cargo sails in November 2026, wait for the late October spot print before you commit space at the filed level.
If the ship must sail before 19 October 2026, quote the new rate and put the surcharges on their own line. Bundle the two and the difference shows up on the invoice instead of the quote.
Market Outlook
Watch Drewry's Asia-Europe reading and Suez transit counts through late October 2026. If spot keeps falling while transits stay elevated, treat the 19 October 2026 filings as a ceiling to negotiate against rather than a rate to pay.JETWAY Supply Chain is your execution partner on the ground in China — based in Tianjin, licensed as an NVOCC (MOT) and a member of CIFA, FIATA and WCA. We handle special cargo and compliance (dangerous goods, chemicals, batteries) across ocean, air, rail and road, and we pre-check your documents before the box is stuffed so your filing clears the first time. Send us your next booking and we will run the checks above against your sailing date. Request a quote.