Drewry World Container Index Falls 1% to $1,919 as Transpacific and Asia–Europe Rates Continue to Weaken

The Drewry World Container Index (WCI), a widely used independent global benchmark for index-linked ocean freight contracts, declined 1% to $1,919 per 40ft container on Thursday, 19 February 2026. This marks the sixth consecutive weekly drop, driven by falling spot rates on the Transpacific and Asia–Europe trade routes.

On the Transpacific lane, spot rates from Shanghai to New York decreased 1% to $2,782 per 40ft container, while rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles remained unchanged at $2,219 per 40ft container. To maintain supply-demand balance, carriers are actively managing capacity through blank sailings. According to Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, 31 blank sailings have been announced for next week across the Transpacific East and West Coast trade lanes, significantly higher than in previous years. As a result, Drewry expects spot rates on this route to continue softening in the coming weeks.

Rates on the Asia–Europe trade also extended their decline. Shanghai to Rotterdam fell 1% to $2,109 per 40ft container, while Shanghai to Genoa dropped 2% to $2,895 per 40ft container. Container Capacity Insight data shows that carriers have announced eight blank sailings on the Asia–Europe/Med trade route for next week due to ongoing market volatility and factory closures linked to the Chinese New Year (CNY). Drewry anticipates a slight further decline in spot rates on this corridor in the weeks ahead.

The continued fall in container spot rates signals a weaker market environment, contrary to the typical expectation of rising demand and increasing spot rates ahead of CNY. This year, freight rates peaked earlier than usual, and if seasonal trends follow their normal pattern, further decreases may occur.

The World Container Index has long served as a key reference point for index-linked freight contracts. In addition, Drewry’s Container Freight Rate Insight (CFRI) online service provides ocean spot market freight rate data across 6,700 global port pairs, with 2,450 routes updated fortnightly.

Source: Drewry

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