CONTAINER FREIGHT RATES REMAIN ELEVATED AS SCHEDULE RELIABILITY STAYS WEAK
Drewry’s November 2026 Container Shipping Market Signals dashboard shows freight rates remaining elevated and broadly unchanged month on month, while schedule reliability remains poor. The overall Market Signal Index stands at 49 out of 100, indicating broadly balanced conditions despite continuing cost and operational pressures.
Average World Container Index freight rates stood at USD 4,457 per 40-foot container in October, down just 0.5% from the previous month. Offered capacity was 10% above the previous year’s level, while the forecast for global demand growth in 2026 stood at 3.1%.
Schedule reliability reached only 40% in September, with the dashboard recording a modest improvement of 1% compared with the previous month. Port congestion eased, with average waiting times falling by 16% to 1.4 days in October. The dashboard also records 61 cancelled sailings for November, down 26% month on month. Meanwhile, average fuel costs rose by 6% to USD 741 in October.
On Asia–Europe routes, Drewry’s separate weekly assessment of 29 October shows Shanghai–Rotterdam rates increasing by 1% to USD 3,686 per 40-foot container, while Shanghai–Genoa rates remained stable at USD 4,151. Carriers have announced higher Freight All Kinds rates for November, but Drewry questions whether these increases will hold given available capacity and weak demand. Four blank sailings were announced for the following week, compared with eight in the current week, and Drewry expected Asia–Europe rates to remain stable.