Oceanfreight container spot rates on Trans-Pacific services have registered significant increases, according to Freightos Head of Research, Judah Levine. Pre-Lunar New Year demand and general rate increases by carriers have pushed prices on the Asia–U.S. West Coast 30% higher than mid-December, while East Coast routes have risen by 20%.

The expectation is that the pre-Lunar New Year demand surge will be short-lived. A sharp slump is expected after the holiday and Freightos projects that 2026 volumes will decline by 10% compared to last year. Combined with capacity growth, this will likely put even more pressure on  rates.

According to a report by The Loadstar, Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) also recorded double-digit rate increases on the Asia to North American and Asia-Europe trades, signaling a strong pre-Lunar New Year peak season. The Loadstar said carriers have also added capacity to both the Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean trade.

Sea-Intelligence reports that shippers are prioritizing early cargo flows into European markets. “Shippers are pushing massive volumes into the European network much earlier than usual – peaking six weeks before the holiday – to ensure inventory is buffered before the post-CNY capacity withdrawal,” Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence, said. the same front-loading strategy has also been observed on the Asia–Mediterranean trade, where volumes have surged by 62% over the past five weeks.

Trans-Pacific trades are showing different volatility profiles. In his assessment, Murphy commented, “Asia-North America West Coast is characterized by extreme instability and a risky late-season spike, while Asia-North America East Coast maintains a sustained high-capacity floor, holding volumes 25% above the baseline right up to the start of CNY.”

Source : Freightos, The Loadstar, Sea-Intelligence