Spot rates for shipping containers from Asia to major Western consumer markets accelerated sharply in calendar week 19 (6–12 May). The Drewry WCI spot index for the Shanghai–European ports route and the Shanghai–US ports route increased by 18–20% and 16% over the week, respectively.
The sub-index for the indicative Shanghai–Rotterdam route was about 3.7 thousand dollars per FEU at the end of the week, which is 2.3 times higher than the level of the same week last year. Currently, the cost of delivering a 40-foot container on the indicative Shanghai–Genoa route is about 4.3 thousand dollars. This is 2 times the cost last year.