Transpacific jumps on the rush to clear cargo before Golden Week
Shippers pulling cargo forward ahead of the holiday lifted both US coasts sharply. Asia–Europe went the other way again, with Suez services returning and demand thin.
Index levels assessed 17 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 | $4,500 | +1% |
| Shanghai – Rotterdam | $3,626 | −9% |
| Shanghai – Genoa | $4,016 | −5% |
| Shanghai – Los Angeles | $7,712 | +5% |
| Shanghai – New York | $10,394 | +7% |
What moved, and why
- The composite rose 1% to $4,500 per 40ft, driven entirely by the transpacific. Shanghai–Los Angeles gained 5% and Shanghai–New York 7%.
- Asia–Europe moved the other way and harder. Shanghai–Rotterdam dropped 9% — the steepest single-week fall on the corridor this quarter — and Shanghai–Genoa 5%.
- The split has two clean causes: cargo being pulled forward ahead of Golden Week on the transpacific, and the gradual return of Suez services adding effective capacity on Asia–Europe against weak demand.
- Gemini added AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 back through the canal on 14 September, joining the AE15 and AE19 loops already restored.
What it meant for a quote
A pre-holiday rush is a fortnight-long distortion, not a market turn. Cargo booked into the peak of it paid for the privilege; the same box a fortnight either side did not. If you were quoting transpacific spot that week, the honest caveat to a customer was that the level would not survive Golden Week — and it did not.
Sources
- Drewry World Container Index, assessment for 17 September 2026.
- Carrier service restoration dates as reported in trade coverage, 14–21 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.