Xeneta Weekly Ocean Container Shipping Market Update -16.5.25
OSLO : “The US-China announcement on the temporary lowering of tariffs fired the starting gun for shippers to rush as many imports as they can during the 90-day window of opportunity.
“There is no time to waste for these shippers and the rush of cargo will put upward pressure on spot rates on Transpacific trades., however it is important to understand market dynamics following sudden shocks such as the US-China tariff announcement.
“A deeper dive into data shows shippers paying prices towards the market mid-high for rates agreed post the US-China announcement, while legacy agreements struck before 12 May will continue to keep a lid on the bubbling market averages for a short time.
“Spot rates will peak and then flatten as carriers redeploy capacity to match demand, then rates will begin to slide again just as we saw in Q1. This is expected to happen over the next two to four weeks.” commented Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst.
Data highlights
- Average spot rates:
- Far East to US West Coast: USD 2722 per FEU (40ft container)
- Far East to US East Coast: USD 3883 per FEU
- Far East to North Europe: USD 1988 per FEU
- Far East to Mediterranean: USD 3152 per FEU
- North Europe to US East Coast: USD 2110 per FEU
- Market mid-high spot rates
- Far East to US West Coast: USD 3012 per FEU
- Far East to US East Coast: USD 4050 per FEU
- Far East to North Europe: USD 2174 per FEU
- Far East to Mediterranean: USD 3436 per FEU
- North Europe to US East Coast: USD 2325 per FEU
Note: The Xeneta mid-high is the spot rates paid by shippers in the 75th percentile of the market.
- Delta between market average and mid-high shows the different rates being paid by shippers, ie, those shippers negotiating rates on Transpacific trades post the US-China announcement of a 90-day lowering in tariffs are paying higher rates towards the market mid-high.
