News / Intra-Asia rates see traditional year-end surge, despite volatile market

Intra-Asia rates have increased, amid the usual peak season for such cargo.

Drewry’s intra-Asia Container Index shows that, from the final two weeks of October to the first fortnight of November, average rates rose by an average of 4%, to $506 per teu, and have held steady.

Particularly, compared with the first two weeks of October, the Ho Chi Minh-Shanghai rate gained 20%, to $42 per teu, and Jakarta-Shanghai grew 13%, to $35 per teu.

Intra-Asia volumes usually surge at the end of the year, as semi-finished products are moved from South-east Asia to Chinese factories to complete production before the Chinese New Year, that falls in either January or February.

Xeneta’s chief analyst, Peter Sand, told The Loadstar the short-term market went up in early October.

He explained: “For Ho Chi Minh, that was a reversal of recent falling trend for Jakarta, whereas it was more a case of stabilising the trend and level seen for a longer period of time.”

Xeneta’s data reflects a much higher rate for Jakarta-Shanghai, of $188 per 40ft, the highest since June 2023, excluding terminal handling charges.

Mr Sand added: “While our trend is also showing a rise, it’s in early October that Xeneta saw an uplift.

“These two tradelanes have seen solid growth in 2024 and 2025, but they are back-haul lanes, so they are less sensitive to seasonality. We see this clearly, as rates have no pattern up or down in the lead-up to Chinese New Year, if you look at the past few years.”

Mr Sand stressed that these were very competitive tradelanes, with most business done on spot basis, and thus, rates could easily be volatile.