The World Container Index assessed by Drewry, a composite of container freight rates on eight major routes to/from the US, Europe and Asia, is up by 16.4 % to 1,410 $ for a 40ft container.
The composite index is up by 16.4 % in the first week of 2018 and down [ds_preview]22.5 % from the same period of 2017. The average composite index of the WCI, assessed by Drewry for year-to-date, is 1,410 $ per 40ft container, which is 177 $ lower than the five-year average of 1,587 $ for a 40ft container.
Freight rates on the Shanghai-Los Angeles routes have boosted by 305 $ to reach 1,471 $, and rates on Shanghai-New York surged by 502 $, to reach 2,453 $ for a 40ft box. Spot rates on this trade are expected to remain stable until the Chinese New Year holidays. The World Container Index (WCI), assessed by Drewry on the Shanghai-Genoa route, gained 216 $ from the last week of 2017, to reach 1,406 $ for a 40ft box. Similarly, rates on Shanghai-Rotterdam increased to 1,685 $ from 1,502 $ for a 40ft box.
