(March 12): The cost to ship goods in containers to Europe from China jumped over the past week as the war in the Middle East disrupts one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and lengthens delivery times. According to figures from the Drewry World Container Index posted on Thursday, the spot rate for a 40-foot container to Rotterdam from Shanghai increased 19% to US$2,443 (RM9,567) over the past week, the steepest weekly gain in percentage terms since June 2025. From Shanghai to Los Angeles, the rate was 4.2% higher than a week earlier at US$2,503, Drewry’s figures showed. The world’s major container carriers have added emergency fees and fuel surcharges to their long-haul rates since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28. “We expect transit times on transpacific and Asia-to-Europe lanes to start creeping up within the next week or two.”

Source: The Edge Markets March 12, 2026 10:50 UTC