Composite holds a second week as Asia–Europe keeps slipping
A flat headline for the second week running, and for the second week running it hides the same split. Modest transpacific gains offsetting a steady Asia–Europe bleed.
Index levels assessed 10 September 2026. This is the weekly briefing as it was published — it is not updated afterwards. For the current position on your lanes, use the rate explorer.
The week in numbers
| Lane | Level | Week |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | $4,476 | flat |
| Shanghai – Rotterdam | $3,997 | −2% |
| Shanghai – Genoa | $4,216 | −3% |
| Shanghai – Los Angeles | $7,352 | +2% |
| Shanghai – New York | $9,726 | +1% |
What moved, and why
- The composite was stable at $4,476 per 40ft for the second consecutive week.
- Transpacific gains were modest rather than dramatic: Shanghai–Los Angeles up 2%, Shanghai–New York up 1%.
- Asia–Europe continued to give ground, with Shanghai–Genoa down 3% and Shanghai–Rotterdam down 2%. Shanghai–Rotterdam has now fallen below $4,000.
- The intra-Asia index edged up 1% to $1,323 per 40ft — worth watching if you feed the main corridors through a transhipment hub.
- With demand easing and carriers still managing capacity, Drewry expected rates to stay stable the following week.
What it meant for a quote
Shanghai–Rotterdam went under $4,000 for the first time in this run. If you were sitting on a Q4 Asia–Europe tender waiting for a better number, the direction was already set by this point, and waiting was the right call. The flat composite was telling you nothing — the corridor beneath it was.
Sources
- Drewry World Container Index and Intra-Asia Container Index, assessments for 10 September 2026.
Figures are as published by the named third parties on the dates given. They are not SeaFreightPrices benchmarks; our own methodology is set out on the methodology page.