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International freight insights APAC March 2026

  • Feb 28
  • 4 min read


Access ZG’s indicators from Asia based freight forwarders are that spot ocean freight rates offered by some carriers to Australia decreased 4% for February 2026 (following a 38% decrease in January 2026). These February 2026 month international ocean freight observations show differences to the Index results stated below. This is due to rate volatility and the index lagging by up to a few weeks the information Access ZG sees in both other metrics and on the ground with Asia freight forwarder and shipping line quoted rates.

 

The China Containerized Freight Index showed spot ocean freight rates China to Australia decreased 17% for February 2026 (after decreasing 5% in January). Shanghai Containerized Freight Index which leads the China Index (as it uses data from quoted rates for the forthcoming week) to all global routes increased 1% for February 2026 time period (after decreasing 20% for January 2026). The index increased 7% in the final week of February, suggesting moderate rate increases in early March 2026. The Drewry Composite Index that measures ocean freight spot rates globally decreased 10% in February 2026 (after decreasing 5% for January).

 

There is now more divergence in international freight rate movements between trade lanes depending on specific geopolitical, demand and shipping line capacity policy.

 

The Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) futures is the best read for global future ocean shipping market forecasts (only available for Asia to Europe route). It showed a 1% increase in April 2026 contracts (ec2604) over the past month, longer dated contracts increased about 6% on average over the past month.

 

Worldwide air freight rates per the TAC Index decreased 2% for the month of February 2026 (after a 13% decrease in January 2026).

 

Getting quality early information is important in this volatile market. Prior International Freight Insights APAC newsletters under the ‘Insights’ tab and further service offering information can be viewed here: access-zg.com 

 

Reply for further discussion about how Access ZG’s service offerings can assist with increasing control of your overseas logistics operations.

 

See below for February 2026 high value article highlights:

 

Blanked sailings soar as carriers anticipate CNY slump

 

The transpacific, transatlantic, and Asia-Europe trades are all set for a surge in blanked sailings as China’s new year celebrations get under way. The two-week holiday, which begins today and brings most shipping and logistics operations in the country to a halt.

 

 

Beyond CargoWise: forwarders ask if open source is the TMS answer

 

For years, "open source" has hovered around freight forwarding technology as an abstract ideal rather than a practical operating model. Everyone knows it underpins the internet, cloud infrastructure, and modern software development. But few have argued that it could sit anywhere near the operational heart of a freight forwarder. That may now be starting to change. Not because open source is suddenly more capable, but because, following the launch of CargoWise's new value packs and the industry frustration over its stranglehold on the TMS sector, systems are being questioned more openly.

 

Forwarders are no longer just asking what their TMS can do; they are asking who ultimately controls workflows, data, and the pace at which they can adapt. Now a growing number of proponents are arguing that the future of forwarding technology is not another proprietary platform, but shared, open infrastructure.

 

 

Carriers face ‘structural reset’ as container supercycle ends

 

Liner shipping’s descent into loss has been predicted repeatedly throughout the notoriously hard-to-predict 2020s. Now, however, the doomsayers are speaking in a louder voice. Asian consultancy Linerlytica, for instance, has warned in its latest weekly report that container shipping’s cash windfall is about to dry up as the sector’s super-cycle comes to an end. Japanese liner Ocean Network Express (ONE) set off alarm bells last week, reporting an operating loss of $84m and net loss of $88m in the fourth quarter of 2025, with CEO Jeremy Nixon conceding his company faces a “challenging operating environment”. 

 

 

'The smaller the trade, the longer the lead time'

 

Global container freight rate movements are driven by the world’s largest tradelanes, with smaller routes impacted months later, according to new analysis from Sea-Intelligence, based on Container Trade Statistics (CTS) data. 

 


Are index-based shipping contracts a trap for BCOs?

 

Dr Raymon Krishnan, president of Singapore’s Logistics & Supply Chain Management Society, ponders the risks of index-based freight contracts.

 

For many beneficial cargo owners (BCOs), index-based freight contracts are increasingly positioned as the modern, data-driven answer to volatile shipping markets. On paper, they promise transparency, fairness, and alignment with prevailing market conditions. 

 

In practice, however, many shippers are discovering that index-linked pricing can quietly transfer risk rather than create value. As supply chain volatility becomes structural, we must ask: are these contracts serving BCO interests, or are they simply convenient mechanisms for carriers to offload uncertainty?

 


Access ZG (access-zg.com) provides services to international logistics & trade participants, specialising in connecting with Asian markets.  

 

Thanks for taking the time to read and hope you gained some valuable insights,


Jeffrey Levy CA 

Founder

ACCESS ZG 

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Phone: 0417 275 262           

           +86 18813902084

WhatsApp: +61 417 275 262

WeChat: Jiefu888Jeff


 
 
 

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