Container Rates Rise Again as Fuel Costs, Hormuz Uncertainty Ripple Through Global Trade

Container spot rates edged higher this week, with mounting fuel costs and continued uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz beginning to reshape pricing dynamics across key trade lanes.

Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) rose 1% to $2,309 per 40-foot container, driven primarily by gains on Transpacific and Transatlantic routes—even as Asia–Europe pricing softened.

The biggest surprise came on the Transatlantic, where Rotterdam–New York rates jumped 25% to $1,968 per container, breaking from the lane’s typical stability. Drewry attributed the spike to a 13% month-over-month drop in available capacity for April, tightening supply in a market that rarely sees sharp moves.