Transpacific becomes container shipping's most lucrative major trade

· Shipping · United States · China

The transpacific has become the most profitable major container trade, with carriers earning up to $1.30 per nautical mile on spot shipments from China to the US west coast, according to new Alphaliner analysis. That is roughly five times the spot revenue per nautical mile generated on the Shanghai-Los Angeles route compared with shipments to North Europe via the Cape of Good Hope. The gap highlights how strongly eastbound trans-Pacific spot rates have held late into the traditional peak season, hovering near 2026 highs. Zim has responded by launching a third China-US west coast express service to capture the freight surge, continuing a reshuffle of carrier services on the trade.

Why it matters：The widening profitability gap between the transpacific and other trades will shape where carriers deploy capacity and how shippers plan routing and costs next year.

Key points

  • Carriers earn up to $1.30 per nautical mile on China-USWC spot cargo
  • Shanghai-Los Angeles yields roughly five times those to North Europe via the Cape
  • Zim added a third China-USWC express service to tap the surge

Sources (original reporting)

More stories from this day