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China and SE Asia Shipping News – September 2026

Price Trends

Asia–Europe rates have softened from their mid-summer peak-season highs but remain elevated compared with early 2026 levels. A realistic working range for China–UK/Northern Europe in September is roughly $4,000–$5,200 per FEU.

Latest Drewry WCI readings (late August): The composite index was in the mid-$4,400s to low-$4,500s range (e.g. ~$4,473–$4,526). Shanghai–Rotterdam spot rates were reported around $4,287–$4,401/FEU, while Shanghai–Genoa was roughly $4,866–$4,955/FEU. Both legs showed modest week-on-week declines after earlier strength.

Freightos Baltic Index (FBX11 – China/East Asia to Northern Europe) was reported near $4,700/FEU in late August readings, down from higher levels seen earlier in the peak season.

Carriers continue to use blank sailings and selective rate filings to limit further declines. Demand has cooled from the July–early August peak, contributing to the softer tone on the Europe trades (while Transpacific rates remained firmer).

UK-specific rates to Felixstowe/Southampton generally track the Northern Europe average, sometimes with modest premiums for local handling and schedule reliability.

Route Changes

Two important developments are shaping routing in September:

Strait of Hormuz: Traffic remains heavily constrained and well below pre-conflict normal levels (often only a handful to low teens of commodity vessels per day versus ~100+ previously). Discussions of temporary corridors continue, but risk, insurance costs, and operational uncertainty persist.

Red Sea / Suez Canal: This is the more positive story. Major carriers are progressively restoring selected services. MSC announced a partial return on several Asia–Europe and Asia–Mediterranean strings in late August (including Albatros for Northern Europe). Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd (Gemini) have already moved a meaningful share of volumes back, and other lines are following cautiously. Analysts note that a broader normalisation by the end of 2026 is becoming more plausible, though some Cape routing is expected to continue in order to absorb the capacity released by shorter voyages.

Transit times for China–UK cargo are therefore gradually improving for those services that have returned to Suez, while Cape of Good Hope remains the default for many others (still typically 40–50 days).

Shipping Carrier Activities

Blank sailings remain in use on Asia–Europe (typically a small number per week) as carriers manage capacity amid softening post-peak demand.Progressive Suez returns by MSC, Maersk/Gemini and others are the key operational theme. These moves are being implemented service-by-service with contingency options retained.Equipment and space availability remain tighter than in quieter periods, supported by residual blank sailings and the still-elevated lead times on Cape-routed vessels.

Possible Risks to Rates

Geopolitical: Any deterioration around Hormuz or a fresh Red Sea incident could quickly reverse the Suez return progress and reinstate higher risk premiums.
Demand: Further post-peak softening in European import volumes would put additional downward pressure on rates. Stronger-than-expected autumn demand could stabilise or support levels.
Capacity release: As more services return to the shorter Suez route, effective capacity increases, which over time tends to weigh on rates unless blank sailings are increased in response.
Operational: Port congestion (Shanghai and Northern Europe ports have seen elevated waiting times at times) and residual fuel/insurance costs remain factors.

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Kitchens and Bathrooms

With a wide range of styles and choices, we offer a full catalogue of bespoke kitchens and bathrooms for commercial applications.

Over 20 years in manufacturing in a variety of sectors provides Horizon B2B Trading with the experience, knowledge and track record to deliver high quality, high volume solutions to many commercial trades.

If you’re looking for tailored programmes to fit your custom specifications and volumes, then enquire today and let us help. We specialise in large volume sourcing, manufacturing and distribution.