Container Freight Rates Climb Again: Mid-2026 Outlook

Container freight rates turned upward again in mid-2026. On 25 June, Drewry’s composite World Container Index jumped 5% to $4,166 per 40-foot container — the highest reading since September 2024. For importers moving cargo into Ukraine through the Odesa hub, the global rate level feeds straight into the cost of the feeder leg.

• $4,166Drewry WCI per FEU (25 Jun)
• +5%week-on-week rise
• Sep 2024last time rates were this high
• $4,392Shanghai–Rotterdam per FEU

Why rates are climbing

The Transpacific lane is doing most of the lifting. Shanghai–New York rose 6% to $7,149 per FEU and Shanghai–Los Angeles gained 12% to $5,750. US importers keep frontloading shipments ahead of possible tariff changes and higher bunker costs. Asia–Europe is steadier so far: Shanghai–Rotterdam edged up 1% to $4,392, while Shanghai–Genoa held at $5,759.

Tight capacity adds to the pressure. Drewry counted only three blank sailings announced for the next week on Asia–Europe and four on the Transpacific, while congestion at major Asian and European hubs limits vessel availability. Carriers are pushing surcharges through with little resistance.

What changes on 1 July

CMA CGM announced FAK rates of $6,300 per FEU on Asia–Europe and $7,700–$8,500 on Asia–Mediterranean, plus a Peak Season Surcharge of $1,000 per 20ft on Asia–Europe and $1,400 per 20ft on Asia–Mediterranean, all effective 1 July. A bunker fuel adjustment lands the same day. Other lines typically follow once one major carrier moves.

What it means for Odesa-hub imports

Boxes bound for Ukraine rarely sail direct. They move on a deep-sea leg to a Mediterranean hub — Constanța or Piraeus — and then transfer to a feeder to Odesa, Chornomorsk or Pivdennyi. When the ocean rate and surcharges rise on the Asia–Mediterranean stretch, the whole door-to-door price moves with them, even though the feeder add-on itself is steadier. Planning your container shipping and freight forwarding around the surcharge calendar is where the savings sit.

Two practical moves: budget the 1 July surcharges into landed cost now, and review cargo insurance values against the higher freight component. We handle the booking, the feeder coordination and customs on the Odesa hub as a single point of contact.

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