Drewry’s Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI), the industry’s comprehensive benchmark for regional shipping costs, softened by 5% during the second week of March.
The composite index settled at $616 per 40ft container (FEU), reflecting a cooling of spot rates across the region’s primary trade corridors.
Despite this weekly slip, current market levels remain slightly elevated compared to the same period last year. The index is presently 2% higher than the Year-over-Year (YoY) average, indicating that while immediate demand may be fluctuating, the baseline for intra-Asian trade remains resilient.
The IACI provides critical transparency into the world’s most active shipping region. Launched as a weekly report on January 2, 2026, the index tracks actual spot container freight rates across 18 major intra-Asia trade routes.
The index is comprised of 18 route-specific data sets and a single composite index, all reported in USD per 40ft container. By aggregating data from these diverse corridors, Drewry offers shippers, carriers, and analysts a precise “weighted average” of the regional market’s health.
The IACI monitors 18 strategic port pairings, with a significant focus on Shanghai as a central hub for regional commerce:
| North & East Asia | Southeast Asia & Indian Subcontinent |
| Busan – Shanghai | Jakarta – Shanghai |
| Shanghai – Busan | Shanghai – Jakarta |
| Yokohama – Shanghai | Laem Chabang – Shanghai |
| Shanghai – Yokohama | Shanghai – Laem Chabang |
| Kaohsiung – Shanghai | Ho Chi Minh City – Shanghai |
| Shanghai – Kaohsiung | Shanghai – Ho Chi Minh City |
| Shanghai – Manila | Shanghai – Singapore |
| Shanghai – Jebel Ali | |
| Shanghai – Jawaharlal Nehru Port | |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Port – Shanghai | |
| Shanghai – Tanjung Pelepas |
