17th October 2025
Container freight rates on the main east-west trades have increased this week, as GRI’s have been implemented by all carriers operating on these routes.
This comes after a period of consecutive rate declines since August. Carriers have cut around 13% of capacity from Far East to North Europe since the end of August after a period of strong demand over the summer.
There are warnings of further increases from 1st November, with main carriers such as MSC and Maersk all quoting higher prices for next month.
It is not yet known if these increases will stick. We are expecting to head into a quieter period for shipping due to Christmas and New Year shut down periods, before a noticeable increase in volume ahead of Chinese New Year 2026.
