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Container Rates Climb Despite Easing Fuel Costs as Shippers Rush Ahead of Tariff Deadlines

Ocean container rates continue surging across major trade lanes even as bunker fuel prices decline from wartime peaks. Importers are frontloading cargo ahead of anticipated tariff increases and manufacturer price hikes set for July. Trans-Pacific West Coast rates jumped 19% to $5,700 per forty-foot equivalent unit, with daily spot rates already exceeding $6,000. East Coast rates climbed 13% to $7,400 per FEU, surpassing prior peak season highs. Asia-Europe and Mediterranean routes also posted double-digit gains, reaching $4,700 and $6,300 per FEU respectively. While bunker prices have retreated 25% from March peaks, fuel costs remain well above pre-conflict levels. Hundreds of vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf as transit levels recover from single-digit percentages of normal capacity. Carriers are targeting $1,000-$3,000 per FEU rate increases for July.