Container freight markets are moving in different directions across the major East-West trade lanes, according to reporting from Splash247, citing data from Clarksons Research and Xeneta.
Trans-Pacific trades continue to outperform, supported by resilient consumer demand and disciplined capacity management. Xeneta reported that while carriers have added capacity on the Far East-U.S. East Coast corridor, freight rates have remained firm, suggesting demand continues to absorb the available space. Carriers are also expected to seek additional rate increases around China’s Golden Week holiday period, Xeneta said, as market conditions remain favorable.
Intra-Asia markets are also performing well, splash247 reported, with freight rates reaching new highs amid a combination of weather-related disruptions, geopolitical uncertainty, and limited vessel availability.
By contrast, the Asia-Europe trade is facing downward pressure as more services return to Red Sea transits. According to the Suez Canal Authority, container vessel traffic through the canal has increased significantly during the first eight months of 2026.
Several major carriers, including CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and COSCO, have resumed some services through the region. However, not all carriers have returned. Matthew Burgess, Vice President, LCL USA at Shipco, noted that Premier Alliance members ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming, along with Evergreen, remain among the primary carriers continuing to route services around the Cape of Good Hope.
Xeneta reported that global schedule reliability on the Far East to Europe trade remains severely impacted, with only 6% of vessels arriving on-time and average delays exceeding 8 days. Analysts at Linerlytica also highlighted significant port congestion across East Asian ports, with more than 12% of the global capacity tied up by port delays following multiple typhoons in China.
According to Xeneta, approximately 1.1 million TEU were waiting at anchorage across Ningbo, Shanghai, and Yantian in the aftermath of Typhoon Saudel. “The effects will continue to impact global trade and carrier strategies for weeks to come, compounding existing berth arrival delays downstream in both Europe and North America,” Xeneta wrote.