Spot Container Rates to Europe Jump as Iran War Strains Capacity
A container ship on the dockside at the Euromax Terminal in the Port of Rotterdam.
Photographer: Lina Selg/BloombergThe cost to ship goods in containers to Europe from China jumped over the past week as the war in the Mideast disrupts one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and lengthens delivery times.
According to figures from the Drewry World Container Index posted Thursday, the spot rate for a 40-foot container to Rotterdam from Shanghai increased 19% to $2,443 over the past week, the steepest weekly gain in percentage terms since June 2025. Service from Shanghai to Genoa, Italy, jumped almost 10% to $3,120.