Freight Rate Weekly: More Blank Sailings, Lower Rates: What Drewry's Sep 24 WCI Says
Freight Rate Weekly: More Blank Sailings, Lower Rates: What Drewry's Sep 24 WCI Says
Executive Summary
Transpacific blank sailings jumped from 9 to 15, yet the WCI composite slipped 1% to $4,468/FEU. Suez transits are the reason.
| $10,373/FEU |
| $7,838/FEU |
| $3,835/FEU |
| $3,485/FEU |
| 1% |
| 2% |
| 5% |
| 4% |
Overview
Here's the thing. Drewry's composite index for Sep 24 came in at $4,468 per 40ft container, down 1% from $4,500 a week earlier. That headline tells you almost nothing. Underneath it, Shanghai-New York sat at $10,373/FEU, Shanghai-Los Angeles rose 2% to $7,838/FEU, Shanghai-Genoa dropped 5% to $3,835/FEU, and Shanghai-Rotterdam fell 4% to $3,485/FEU. Four lanes. Four directions. (Source: Drewry World Container Index, assessed Sep 24 2026.)
Stop quoting the average.
Quote your lane.
Key Details
Put simply, capacity came back through a different door. Carriers announced 15 blank sailings on the transpacific for next week, up from 9, and 7 on Asia-Europe, up from 3. At the same time, Suez Canal containership transits rose from 41 in week 37 to 48 in week 38, roughly 17% more, and that shorter routing puts effective capacity back on the Asia-Europe trade. Six sailings cut. Seven ships back. The math does not work in your favour if you are waiting for a rate spike.
Six cut. Seven back.
Watch out for that number.
Looking Ahead
Bottom line: the two coasts want opposite moves. If your Europe cargo has 10 days of slack, waiting is reasonable — Drewry itself expects another drop next week. If it moves to the United States, do not wait. The reason is not the rate, it is those 15 cancelled sailings. Space is genuinely shorter, and every week you wait, the schedule shifts again. Frankly, this is the week to lock the space and argue about the price afterwards.
Lock the space first.
Implications
Watch these two. First, Suez transits: if they hold above 48, Europe keeps sliding; if a Red Sea incident pulls them back down, that discount disappears overnight. Second, whether those 15 blank sailings actually happen — compare the announced count against the vessels that really sail in the first week of October. The gap between the two numbers tells you how serious carriers are about holding capacity.
Market Outlook
We expect the split to widen rather than close. Asia-Europe has a structural driver behind it — returning Suez transits — which does not reverse on sentiment alone. The transpacific has the opposite setup: fewer sailings, firmer rates, and a schedule that keeps moving. Plan the two trades separately for the rest of October.JETWAY Supply Chain is your execution partner on the ground in China — based in Tianjin, licensed as an NVOCC (MOT) and a member of CIFA, FIATA and WCA. We handle special cargo and compliance (dangerous goods, chemicals, batteries) across ocean, air, rail and road, and we pre-check your documents before the box is stuffed so your filing clears the first time. Send us your next booking and we will run the checks above against your sailing date. Request a quote.