Drewry's Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI) climbed 6% this week to $1,491 per 40ft container, marking a fifth consecutive all-time high for the benchmark tracked by procurement teams across the region.

The composite now reflects sustained upward pressure from geopolitical disruption in the Middle East, typhoon-driven congestion at Chinese ports and a pre-Golden Week demand spike that has reshaped effective capacity on China-Southeast Asia services.

What is driving the surge on China-Southeast Asia routes?

Spot rates from China to Southeast and South Asia pushed to historic highs on multiple lanes. Shanghai-to-Laem Chabang jumped 22% to $1,609/FEU, while Shanghai-to-Jakarta climbed 12% to $2,300/FEU. The Jakarta move follows a fire at the NPCT1 Terminal at Tanjung Priok Port on 21 September 2026, where 51 ISO tanks and one container carrying dangerous goods burned, briefly constraining yard capacity.

How are Red Sea risks reshaping Middle East pricing?

Shanghai-to-Jebel Ali spot rates added 2% to $8,712/FEU, the third straight weekly increase, as Houthi forces seized additional coastline along Yemen's Red Sea and advanced toward territory critical to the control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Rates on alternative routings through Jawaharlal Nehru Port also moved higher.

Brent crude has traded above $100 per barrel since early September, lifting bunker costs and feeding surcharges through to Asia-Middle East services. Drewry noted that higher bunker costs and ongoing US–Iran tensions are adding further upward pressure.

Where is congestion biting hardest?

Average vessel waiting time at Shanghai reached 83 hours in Week 38, with Ningbo at 38 hours — eight hours above Week 37, Drewry reported. Storm-related disruption and persistent congestion continue to drag operational efficiency across Chinese hubs.

What is moving on Northeast Asia and the Straits?

Rates from Busan to Shanghai and Laem Chabang to Shanghai each gained 6%, landing at $136/FEU and $205/FEU respectively. Most other Southeast and Northeast Asia lanes held steady, with the notable moves concentrated on the Bangkok container and Busan corridors.

Which new service is entering the market?

X-Press Feeders, Pacific International Lines (PIL) and Namsung Shipping will launch the 'NCX' North and South China–Singapore–Malaysia service in late October. The four-week rotation will call Xingang, Qingdao, Xiamen, Singapore, Port Klang, Penang and Nansha, using four vessels of 2,500–3,600 TEU.

For X-Press Feeders and Namsung, NCX extends Malaysian coverage to Penang. For Namsung, the loop opens a new weekly Tianjin–Straits link that the carrier did not previously operate.

What's the forward outlook?

Drewry expects freight rates on the surveyed intra-Asia lanes to stabilise in the coming weeks. However, with bunker costs elevated, US–Iran tensions unresolved and Houthi forces pressing on the Bab el-Mandeb approach, the upside skew remains intact for shippers pricing short-term Asia-Middle East and Asia-ASEAN tenders.

For forwarders, the immediate commercial consequence is sharper lane-by-lane divergence: China-ASEAN and Asia-Middle East routings continue to firm, while Northeast Asia intra-regional lanes show only isolated pressure. Carriers with flexible intra-Asia networks — particularly X-Press Feeders, PIL and Namsung through NCX — gain optionality just as pre-Golden Week volumes peak.