Asia-Europe container freight rates are easing as carriers adjust individual services and selectively return to the Suez Canal, according to Sogese’s September Europe Container Market Update.
Published on 8 September, the report identifies diverging conditions across major trade corridors. with softer Asia-Europe rates contrasting with firmer transpacific markets.
Drewry’s 3-September World Container Index, cited in the report, put Shanghai-Genoa rates at $4.368 per 40-foot container, down 10 percent week on week.
Shanghai-Rotterdam raies fell 5 percent to $4,092.
Then port also forecast that Asia-Europe blank sailings would fall from four to one the following week.
Sogese links the selective return through Suez to pressure from Asian port congestion.
Citing Linerlytica data, it puts congestion at 4.3 million TEU and estimates that Cape of Good Hope diversions are absorbing between 5 and 7 percent of global container capacity.
Andrea Monti, CEO of Sogese, said: “The selective return of services through the Suez Canal adds another variable: shorter voyages can increase effective capacity on Asia-Europe routes even without new ships entering the market.
For shippers, this means that global fleet capacity is becoming a less reliable guide to the capacity available on a specific trade lane or through a particular port.
The report describes carriers changing port rotations and vessel deployments according to conditions on individual routes.
Examples include Ocean Alliance’s revised CPNW service, which replaces Qingdao, Ningbo and Kwang yang with Kaohsiung and Yantian.
Its MTE service removes Haiphong and adds Port Klang.
Maersk’s seasonal TPX service, introduced in May, is scheduled to finish at the end of the third quarter.
For European shippers, Sogese warns that port calls, sailing frequency and transshipment arrangements may change even where a service remains commercially viable.
The report also highlights contrasting traffic figures in Italy.
Container throughput across Genoa, Savona and Vado Ligure fell 2.7 percent year on year to around 1.45 million TEU in the first half of 2026.
Gateway traffic increased 1.6 percent, while transhipment declined 21.3 percent.
Separately, Fedespedi’s first quarter figures cited in the report showed a national container volume decline of 4.6 percent.
Gioia Tauro handled a record 4.5 million TEU in 2025, up 14 percent, compared with Tanger Med’s 11.1 million TEU, an increase of 8.4 percent.
Sogese’s base case is a gradual return through Suez, releasing effective capacity onto Asia-Europe routes.
It expects freight rates to soften progressively while remaining above precrisis levels, alongside improvements in equipment availability across parts of Europe.
The report anticipates gradual market rebalancing without a sharp rate correction, although it expects Italian transhipment volumes to remain under pressure while Mediterranean routing decisions favour larger ports.
US Freight Rates Surge Amid Declining Schedule Reliability
Freight rates for US-bound transpacific lanes have skyrocketed, with increases of up to 305% since the February 2026 Middle East conflict, while global schedule reliability has plummeted to just 29,4%.
This paradox of rising costs and deteriorating service quality is reshaping the shipping industry.
Xeneta reports that Far East to US East Coast spot rates have surged to $10,910 per FEU, while West Coast rates now average $7,496 per FEU.
Contracted customers are also seeing higher costs, with US East Coast rates exceeding $9,000 per FEU.
The sharp rise reflects compounding geopolitical tensions and constrained capacity.
The performance gap between major shipping alliances has widened.
Gemini Cooperation leads with 51.8% schedule reliability, while Premier Alliance trails 15.8%. Overall global schedule reliability has dropped 3.3 percentage points since July, with delays now a common feature of peak season operations.
In contrast to US-bound lanes, Europe and Mediterranean routes are experiencing softer demand and falling rates.
Spot rates for European main ports stand at $2,643 per TEU, while Mediterranean rates average $3,442 per TEU -both declining week-over-week.
A supply-demand imbalance is driving this trend, with subdued European consumer demand and completed holiday restocking.
Despite attempts to raise rates, surplus capacity and reduced exports volumes have given pricing leverage to shippers.
Typhoons across Asia have severely impacted schedule reliability, with Asia-Europe reliability collapsing to 3% by July and North America routes dropping to 19%.
Ongoing Panama Canal restrictions and increased blank sailings further exacerbate disruptions, tightening capacity and intensifying schedule volatility.
Institutions hold varying forecasts.
Xeneta anticipates rate stability, into October, driven by China’s Golden Week.
However, Drewry highlights increasing blank sailings and ongoing capacity management as key risks.
A rapid return to stability appears unlikely.
Businesses should prioritize schedule reliability over freight -rates when planning shipments.
Building logistical buffer time, monitoring blank sailings, and preparing contingency plans are essential to mitigating delays.
With geopolitical conflicts, extreme weather, and capacity constraints converging, proactive planning is critical to avoiding costly disruptions.
September set to cap extended US peak season rush
The extended 2026 peak season is continuing at the nation’s major container ports, with a final push expected this month that could make September the busiest import month of the year.
That’s according to a Global Port Tracker (GPT) report released 9 September by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates (HA).
Ports covered by the GPT handled 2.3 million TEUS in July, down 3.9 percent year-on-year but up 3.2 percent month-on-month, a sign that volumes were already climbing back before August and September figures come into play.
August figures have not yet been reported, but GPT estimates the month at 2.29 million TEUs, down 1.3 percent year-on-year.
September is forecast at 2.31 million TEUs, up 9.6 percent and just ahead of July as the year’s busiest month, a forecast that puts pressure on terminal yard capacity, gate operations and rail connectivity at ports already managing an unusually stretched peak season.
As recently as last month, May’s 2.24 million TEUS looked set to stand as 2026’s peak, as retailers front-loaded merchandise ahead of possible tariff increases.
Instead, elevated import volumes have continued through the summer, pushing the traditional peak season timing into late summer and early autumn rather than tapering off early, a pattern terminal operator will need to factor into planning for the remainder of the year.
Volumes are expected to ease to 2.11 million TEUS in October, still up 1.7 percent year-on-year, before November comes in at 2 million TEUS, down 0.9 percent, and December at 2.03 million TEUs, up 1.1 percent.
Combined, those figures would bring 2026’s total to 25.7 the cons million TEUs, up 1 percent on 2025’s 25.4 million TEUS.
The first half of 2026 alone totalled 12.7 million TEUs, up 1.1 percent on the same period in 2025.
Port of Melbourne container trade falls 1.6 percent in July
Port of Melbourne handled 285,000 TEUS of container trade in July 2026, down 1.6 percent, or 5,000 TEUS, on July 2025, according to the port’s latest monthly trade update.
It marks a softer start to the new financial year after a strong FY26 close.
Full imports, excluding Bass Strait cargo, reached 111,000 TEUS for the month, down 1.5 percent, or 2,000 TEUs, year-on-year (YoY).
Full exports excluding Bass Strait came in at 57,000 TEUS, down 8.1 percent, or 5,000 TEUS, the sharpest decline among the port’s core trade categories.
The standout performer was full transhipment cargo excluding Bass Strait, which surged 45.0 percent, or 7,000 TEUS, to reach 22,000 TEUS, continuing the strong transhipment growth seen through much of FY26.
full Bass Strait, volumes rose 4.3 percent, or 1,000 TEUs, to 30,000 TEUS, while empty container movements fell 8.3 percent, or 6,000 TEUS, to 65,000 TEUS.
As the opening month of FY27, July’s figures also stand as the port’s year-to-date totals: 285,000 TEUs of container trade.
down 1.6 percent on the same point last year, a marked shift from the consistent YoY growth that characterised FY26.
Whether the dip reflects a genuine slowdown or simply timing noise at the start of the financial year will become clearer once August and September figures are available.
The terminal’s non-container trade told a more positive story.
July non-container volumes reached 2.10 million revenue tonnes, up 3.4 percent, or 68,000 revenue tonnes, on the same month last year.
Motor vehicle volumes led the gains, up 34.2 percent, or 228,000 revenue tonnes, to 893.000 revenue tonnes, while break bulk cargo rose 4.2 percent, or 4.000 revenue tonnes, to 91.000 revenue tonnes.
Liquid bulk slipped 4.5 percent, or 16,000 revenue tonnes, to 349,000 revenue tonnes; dry bulk fell sharply, down 19.2 percent, or 98,000 revenue tonnes, to 412,000 revenue tonnes: and the “other” cargo category dropped 12.2 percent, or 49,000 revenue tonnes, to 354,000 revenue tonnes.
Pak exports to UK jump 8.42%
Pakistan’s export of goods and services to the United Kingdom (UK) witnessed an increase of 8.42 percent during the first month of the current fiscal year (2026-27) compared to the exports of the corresponding month of last year, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported.
The overall exports to UK were recorded at US $220.257 million during July 2026 against exports of US $203.
149 billion during July 2025, SBP data revealed.
On a month-on-month basis, exports to UK also registered significant growth, increasing by 16.88 percent in July 2026 compared to the exports of $188.442 million in June 2026, the SBP data revealed.
Meanwhile, overall Pakistan’s exports to other countries witnessed an increase of 9.38 percent in the first months, from US $2.750 billion to US $3.008 billion, the SBP data revealed.
On the import side, Pakistan imports from UK into the country during the month under review were recorded at US $80.048 million against US $65.138 million last year, showing an increase of 22.88 percent in July 2026.
On a month-on-month basis, the imports from UK into the country also increased by 8.41 percent during July 2026, as compared to the imports of US $73.836 million during June 2026, according to the data.
The overall imports into the country increased by 13.35 percent, from $5.429 billion to US $6.154 billion, according to the data.
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COSCO Shipping Holdings announces results
COSCO Shipping Holdings. the container shipping arm of the world’s fourth-largest liner group with a consolidated fleet capacity of more than 3.65 million TEU, reported a sharp decline in profitability during the first half of 2026 even is it moved record cargo volumes.
Group net profit fell 34% year-on- year to CNY 13.4 billion (US$2.0 billion) underscoring how softening freight demand across a carrier’s network.
The outcome carries direct relevance for cargo owners, forwarders and importers who track Carrier financial health as a leading indicator of pricing stability, Capacity discipline and service reliability in the seasons
COSCO Shipping Lines and OOCL together carried 14.28 million TEU in the first six months of 2026, an 8% increase over the 13.28 million TEU handled in the Same period a year earlier.
Growth registered across nearly every major trade lane, signaling resilient underlying demand.
Trade HI 2026 | HI 2025 | Change Europe-Far East 2.19 million TEU 1.95 million TEU+12% Transpacific/2.63 million TEU 2.39 million TEU +10% Intra-Asia 4.74 million TEU 4.50 million TEU) +5% China domestic | 3.15 million TEU 2.87 million TEU +10% Other 1.58 million TEU | 1.58 million TEU 0% Total 14.28 million TEU 13.28 million TEU+8% Intra-Asia remained the group’s largest trade at 4.74 million TEU, while the two principal East-West corridors Europe- corded the fastest percentage gains.
For shippers managing global sourcing programmes, the broad-based volume growth points to a carrier operating at high utilisation across a diversified route portfolio.
Consolidated container shipping turnover increased 2.4% in Chinese yuan to CNY 107.3 billion (US$15.8 billion).
Yet the gap between revenue growth and volume growth reveals the core pressure on the business: rates did not keep pace with the cargo carried.
Operating profit declined 28% to CNY 13.4 billion (US$2.0 billion), and the operating margin narrowed from 17.9% in the first half of 2025 to 12.5%. Operating profit per TEU fell roughly 30%, from US$197 to US$139. In practical terms, the company earned meaningfully less on each box it moved, even as it moved more of them.
This margin compression is the metric that matters most for rate-watchers.
A carrier absorbing thinner per container returns has a stronger commercial incentive to defend pricing, adjust capacity deployment, and pursue cost efficiency -dynamics that shape the negotiating environment for the second half of the year.
Average revenue per TEU across COSCO Shipping Lines and OOCL edged up 2% to US$1,005, though performance diverged sharply by trade lane:
Europe-Far East: down 4% to US$1,344
Transpacific: down 6% to US$1,549
Intra-Asia: up 7% to US$883 China domestic: up 1% to US$316
Other trades: up 21% to US$1,373
The decline on the two highest-value East-West corridors is the standout signal.
Even as Europe-Far East and Transpacific volumes rose by double digits, per-container revenue on both routes fell, confirming that additional capacity and competitive pressure eroded pricing power on the lanes that most affect global importers.
Regional and secondary trades, by contrast, delivered firmer rate performance.
Excluding OOCL, COSCO Shipping Lines carried 10.15 million TEU during the first half, up 8% from 9.35 million TEU a year earlier.
The mainline brand accounted for roughly 71% of the group’s consolidated container volumes, reinforcing its position as the primary engine of network throughput.
Its average revenue per TEU, however, slipped 2% to US$965-a further illustration of the rate softening running through the group’s core operations.
For shippers, forwarders and importers, the first-half figures tell a two-sided story.
Robust volume growth of 8% points to a carrier with the scale, coverage and utilisation to support high-priority, multimodal freight programmes across global markets.
At the same time, the 34% profit decline and the retreat in per-TEU earnings signal a rate environment that has moved in favour of cargo owners on the major East-West trades.
COSCO Shipping Holdings continues to expand its footprint while navigating a market defined by ample capacity and cost discipline.
For decision-makers planning peak-season allocations and 2027 contract cycles, the numbers reinforce a clear point: monitoring carrier margins alongside published rates offers the sharpest read on where pricing, reliability and capacity are likely to head next.
Container Ship Newbuilding Surge: Orders Spanning Feeder to Ultra-Large Vessels
The container ship newbuilding market has seen a surge in orders spanning vessel capacities from 1,800 TEU to 22,000 TEU, with deliveries largely focused around 2028.
Recent data from DynaLiners reveals a broad buyer profile, including major liner operators, experienced shipowners, and first-time entrants in container shipping.
This wave of investment reflects a deliberate effort to expand capacity across the market, with orders covering feeder ships, midsize tonnage, and ultra-large container vessels.
Key players continue to commit to ultra-large vessels.
Peter has Dohle has expanded its newbuilding program at Hudong- Zhonghua Shipbuilding to six units of 14,000 TEU container ships, with the latest two scheduled for delivery in 2028.
These vessels, designed with methanol and ammonia fuel-ready systems and energy-efficient technologies, underline Dohle’s focus on operational sustainability.
Meanwhile, Samsung Heavy Industries secured an order for two 13,000 TEU vessels worth USD 323 million, although the buyer remains undisclosed.
In the mid-size segment, Greek owner Thenamaris placed an order for four 3,200 TEU container ships under its ConBulk brand, marking a significant investment in its container fleet.
Turkish shipowner Bayraktar Shipping has also committed to two 1.800 TEU vessels, with options for two more, targeting deliveries between 2028 and 2029.
Additionally, new entrant Xiamen Xinliancheng Shipping Co., Ltd. ordered a 2,000 TEU container ship for delivery in mid-2027, highlighting increasing participation from new players in the sector.
COSCO Shipping Holdings has placed the largest single order of this cycle, contracting 18 vessels with a combined capacity of 283,000 TEU.
This includes 12 ul-tra-large 22.000 TEU LNG dual-fuel ships and six 3.200 TEU vessels. valued at USD 3 billion, with deliveries between 2028 and 2030.
This order reinforces COSCO’s strategy to expand both its global and regional fleets.
This wave of orders spans a diverse range of vessel classes, ownership types, and delivery schedules.
The focus on 2028 highlights shipowners’ confidence in medium-term trade growth.
As demand for feeder and ultra-large vessels continues, the concentrated delivery timeline underscores an industry preparing for sustained future capacity needs.