Transpacific container spot rates kept climbing in the week of August 13, 2026. Drewry’s World Container Index put the Shanghai to Los Angeles rate at $6,244 per 40-foot container, up 6% on the week, and Shanghai to New York at $8,706, up 10%. The composite index rose 1% to $4,339 per 40-foot container, its second weekly gain in a row, as higher U.S.-bound rates outweighed declines on Asia-Europe routes.
Drewry tied the increase to capacity management. Carriers cancelled 10 transpacific sailings in each of the previous two weeks and had seven more cancellations planned for the following week. With capacity tightened, Drewry said it expected transpacific rates to be less volatile in the week ahead. Asia-Europe moved the other way: Shanghai to Genoa fell 8% to $5,080 and Shanghai to Rotterdam fell 5% to $4,425.
The scale of the summer increase is clear from Drewry’s own series. In mid-May the same Shanghai to Los Angeles assessment stood at $3,357, so the rate has risen by roughly 86% in three months. The pressure is also reaching contracts. Rate benchmarking firm Xeneta, cited by gCaptain, said long-term rates from the Far East to the U.S. West Coast and East Coast have risen 41% and 40% since the end of February, and that spot rates on the West Coast trade now sit $4,103 per 40-foot container above long-term rates.
What it means for shippers
- Budget on current numbers. A West Coast spot rate above $6,000 changes the freight share of landed cost for low-value and bulky goods in particular. Rework margins on the rates quoted today, not on spring figures.
- Treat sailing schedules as provisional. When ten sailings a week are being cancelled, a booking can be moved to a later vessel. Ask your forwarder to confirm the vessel a few days before cut-off and keep buyers informed of revised arrival dates.
- Weigh contract and spot carefully. A gap of about $4,100 between spot and long-term rates makes contract space valuable, but Xeneta’s chief analyst also cautioned shippers against locking into year-long contracts in a rising market. Shorter terms or index-linked pricing are options to raise with your carrier or forwarder.
- Compare coasts on total cost. The East Coast rate is about $2,460 higher per container than Los Angeles in Drewry’s assessment. For cargo bound for the interior, compare all-water routing with a West Coast arrival plus inland trucking.
- Prioritize what ships first. If space is short, decide in advance which purchase orders must sail on time and which can wait a week.
Go Trucking Services handles ocean freight along with drayage and delivery from the Los Angeles harbor. See our ocean freight service or request a quote on the home page. Spot rates change weekly, so confirm the rate for your sailing with your carrier or forwarder.
Sources:
- MTS Insights: Drewry World Container Index, Week of August 13th
- gCaptain: Container Rates Extend Gains as Carriers Tighten Transpacific Capacity
- MTS Insights: Drewry World Container Index, Week of May 14th
Image: Paul Coueslant, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
