Ports

Container Rates Hold Steady as Carriers Deploy Blanked Sailings

Container spot rates on major east-west routes remained largely flat this week, with modest gains on transpacific lanes offsetting slight declines on Asia-Europe corridors. The Shanghai-Los Angeles route climbed 2% to $7,352 per 40-foot container, while Shanghai-New York rose 1% to $9,726, according to the World Container Index. Carriers are managing softer demand through increased voyage blanking, with eight sailings scheduled to be blanked next week compared to seven this week. Industry observers expect transpacific rates to stabilize at elevated levels heading into China's Golden Week holiday in late September. Strong overall demand continues to support September pricing without significant volatility. A growing backlog of export cargo in China—caused by four separate typhoons over seven weeks—has created extended port delays of up to 12 days in Shanghai and Ningbo. This backlog could keep ocean freight rates elevated through month-end.