Freight Rate Weekly: Asia-Europe Rates Rise For The First Time In 13 Weeks
Freight Rate Weekly: Asia-Europe Rates Rise For The First Time In 13 Weeks
Executive Summary
Shanghai-Rotterdam closed at $3,522/40ft on 2026-10-15, up 6% on the week, while carriers filed $4,500-$4,800/40ft for 2026-10-19. Blank sailings on the lane fell from 6 to 2.
| 3% |
| 1% |
| 6% |
| 7% |
Overview
The transpacific looks different. Shanghai-Los Angeles reached $7,884/40ft, up 3%. Shanghai-New York slipped 1% to $10,075/40ft. Three of four headhaul lanes rose. One fell. Put simply, the move is small: 6% and 7%. The week before, on 2026-10-08, Rotterdam sat at $3,337/40ft and Genoa at $3,696/40ft, both heading down.
The rebound landed in the same week factories reopened after the holiday. Volume came back. That is reason enough.
Key Details
Filed rates run $4,500-$4,800/40ft. Spot clears at $3,522/40ft. The gap is $978 to $1,278. On the same assessment, blank sailings on Asia-Europe dropped from 6 this week to 2 next week, which puts four extra sailings of capacity back on the lane. Suez transits keep recovering, and Drewry books that as more effective capacity too. Raising rates while adding space is not a new move. In Q4 2025 the same thing happened, and about half of it stuck. Watch the spot print, not the letter. You will get your answer faster.
Looking Ahead
When your customer asks whether rates rise next week, the honest answer is a range, not a direction. Carriers ask $4,500-$4,800/40ft. The market clears at $3,522/40ft. That $1,000 in between gets resolved by the 2026-10-22 print. Bottom line: quote them as two lines. One at spot, $3,522/40ft. One from 2026-10-19, $4,500/40ft and up. Let the customer pick which one to lock. It saves you the argument later.
One number to hold on to: $3,522/40ft.
Market Outlook
Watch the 2026-10-22 print and the blank sailing count together. If spot holds above $3,800/40ft while blank sailings stay at 2, treat the $4,500/40ft level as the working number for November bookings. If spot falls back, quote off spot and keep the filed rate as a second line until carriers show they can hold it.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.