TRADE & SHIPPING UPDATE · September 14, 2026
Asia freight pressure, port congestion and the next booking decision
Monday briefing for buyers sourcing from China. The latest reporting points to pressure concentrated on Asian ports and transpacific capacity. Treat published indices and market reports as context, then obtain a route-specific quotation before committing cargo or delivery dates.
1. Asia–US rates remain under pressure from demand and congestion
ICIS reported on September 11 that container rates from East Asia and China to the United States were mixed but faced upward pressure from congested Asian ports and persistent demand. It reported transpacific West Coast indications of US$6,585–7,750 per FEU and East Coast indications of US$8,750–11,000 per FEU.
Those are market indications reported by ICIS, not an offer for a particular shipment. The same report said CMA CGM planned a US$4,000 per FEU peak-season surcharge from Asia Pacific and India to both US coasts from October 1. Confirm applicability, effective date and included charges with the carrier or forwarder.
ICIS: Asia–US container rates, September 11
Ask for a written rate breakdown that separates ocean freight, surcharges, origin handling, destination charges and validity. Keep the cargo-ready date and the quote date in the same order record.
2. Intra-Asia capacity is also tightening
The Loadstar reported on September 10 that intra-Asia freight rates had risen for a fifth consecutive week as typhoon-related congestion in China and bottlenecks at Busan, Hong Kong and Singapore tied up vessel supply. It cited Shanghai–Southeast Asia at US$893 per TEU and Shanghai–Busan at US$248 per TEU on September 4.
The figures are dated market observations and may not match a buyer’s equipment, port pair or service. They do show why a short regional move can still need early space planning when vessels and terminals are recovering from disruption.
The Loadstar: typhoon-related intra-Asia congestion, September 10
3. Golden Week planning is now an execution problem
A booking made before the October holiday does not solve an order that is still awaiting an approved sample, inspection, corrected packaging or export documents. Define the last workable date for each dependency and allow time for a failed check or a missed sailing.
For consolidated orders, decide in advance whether to wait for every supplier, split the shipment or remove a delayed line. Compare extra handling and freight with the cost of missing the customer commitment. Ask the forwarder how a rollover changes equipment, cut-off and charges.
This week, confirm factory working dates, warehouse receiving capacity, inspection timing, document ownership and the next available sailing. Put one named owner beside each date.
MORENICE Buyer Note: make the quote comparable before approving it
Request the same origin, destination, equipment, routing, Incoterm, cargo-ready date, free-time assumptions and charge inclusions from every provider. Record exclusions and the consequence of a rolled booking. A lower headline rate can still produce a higher landed cost when the scope differs.
Keep the approved purchase order, product reference, inspection status, beneficiary confirmation and booking together. If any of these changes, pause the release decision until the order file is updated.
MORENICE · YIWU, CHINA. Your buyer-side team in China. Verify. Contract. Control. Deliver.