Ocean rates flat on Asia-to-US trade lanes

Dive brief:

• The average ocean container point from Asia to the west and eastern coasts of the United States from mid -April for $ 2,790 and $ 3,830 per unit equivalent to forty feet, respectively.
• To date, the west coast container stains at XNETA have fallen by 52 %. The point -to -east -east rate has dropped by 44 %.
• The only noteworthy spike in the point rate in two routes occurred in 2025 on April 1, with a 16 % jump over the moon for the West Coast and a 10 % increase for the East Coast.

Dive insight:

Peter Sand, a senior analyst for XNETA, said the ocean container rate in Asia and the United States has risen as vacant boats from China. Currently, imports from China faces at least 145 % tariff.

“Carriers responded to the US government as a result of the US government’s urgent tariff declarations in early April by increasing vacant boats-to reduce exports from China,” Sand said.

According to the April 29th Freightos industry update, Chinese transportation to the United States has fallen by 30 % to 50 %. About 28 % of the Trans Pacific’s capacity is expected to decline in the coming weeks from the West Coast and is expected to be 42 % more severe than the East Coast.

Sand said, in turn, the boats with small signals of demand recovery from China have been paired in the past two weeks to show the point rate in limited shipments to the United States.

Since the beginning of April, there have been more than 40 empty boats between Asia and the West Coast and more than 20 to the East Coast, with each data obtained on May 2 from sea information.

Source: Sea Information

Transportation had carried out freight shipments ahead of the increase in new tariff costs. The pressure to move the inventory increased volume, for example, the port of Los Angeles, for example, running more than 2.5 million units equivalent to twenty feet in Q1.

In mid -April, the increase in shipments to Asia has contributed to the west and east coast rate in Asia last week, but has generally been sustainable since the beginning of the year.

If tariffs create spikes in the costs of consumer goods that suppress US consumer demand in Q2, it will subsequently affect the volume of container transportation from Asia, according to sand, carriers should work hard to maintain a higher container point rate.

“The current current market is probably a relatively short break before the downward trend continues,” he said.