For immediate release
The Xeneta Weekly Ocean Container Shipping Market Update provides data and intelligence including the latest freight rate and capacity movements across global trades with supporting insight from Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst.
Xeneta analyst insight
Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst:
“As the ‘dance macabre’ for all stakeholders within the maritime supply chains continues around the Strait of Hormuz; uncertainty leaves maritime safety and the future of strait transits in shackles. Since mid-July, the total number of daily transits has been in the teens, about one tenth of pre-war transits – with containerships transits between zero and two.
“While we are waiting for the world to change, the disruptions keep taking their tolls. Xeneta’s early indication for average container shipping freight rates developments in early August was spot on. Freight rates for Asian exports heading towards Europe are down by almost 5% when comparing today’s market average with that of one week ago.
“American shippers bringing goods in via US West Coast and US East Coast were not so ‘fortunate’ - on the contrary they are faced with even higher freight cost in the early days of August, in line with early data indications too. Spot rates went up by 14% and 13% respectively.
“For importers via the US East Coast, the USD 10,000 per FEU mark is all but there yet.
“Carriers keep trying to strike the right balance between the soft patch of demand and their eagerness to deploy capacity. This is done by blanking sailing on services where weekly departures were scheduled only to be cancelled at the last minute.
“Tactics like this is spooking shippers, who thought they could rely on the announcements only to find their cargo not moving. With the right insight into service cancellations ratios and reliability of carriers and alliance – smart and informed decision making can improve shipper supply chain performance significantly. Let alone that of market intelligence leverage ahead of the next tendering round coming up shortly.”
Data highlights
Market average spot rates – 6 August 2026:
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Far East to US West Coast: USD 6 824 per FEU (40ft container)
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Far East to US East Coast: USD 9 988 per FEU
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Far East to North Europe: USD 4 965 per FEU
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Far East to Mediterranean: USD 6 079 per FEU
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North Europe to US East Coast: USD 2 703 per FEU
Spot rate changes from 30 July 2026:
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Far East to US West Coast: +13.8% from a week ago
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Far East to US East Coast: +12.8% from a week ago
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Far East to North Europe: -4.9% from a week ago
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Far East to Mediterranean: -4.8%from a week ago
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North Europe to US East Coast: +6.8% from a week ago
Ends
