Alphaliner称跨太平洋航线远超其他主要集装箱航线，盈利能力最强

Image: © Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com

By Charlotte Goldstone

4 November 2026

Carriers are earning up to $1.30 per nautical mile on spot shipments from China to the US west coast, making the transpacific by far the most lucrative major container trade.

Alphaliner’s latest analysis of spot freight revenue per nautical mile highlights the growing gap between the transpacific and other major trades – returns on China-Europe routes are significantly lower, for example.

Spot rates on the Shanghai-USWC route have remained between 3,063 and 3,687 points on the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) since the beginning of July: at around $7,500 per 40ft, current rates translate into revenue of around $1.30 for each of the 5,775 nautical miles of a voyage to Los Angeles, noted Alphaliner.

Although still below the Covid-era peak of 5,110 SCFI points, recorded in January 2022, rates are at their highest since July 2024, and comparable with those seen during the pandemic boom.

The Shanghai-US East Coast trade is also generating substantial returns, added the analyst, with spot rates remaining above $10,000 per 40ft since late August. This equates to around $0.96 per nautical mile for shipments to New York, via the Panama Canal – comparable with the rates of $10,000-$12,000 recorded between August 2021 and June 2022.

And the carriers have responded to the strength of the Pacific market by increasing capacity, said Alphaliner.

In late August, MSC upgraded its Asia-USWC Sentosa service, replacing 15,000 teu vessels with those of around 23,600 teu. Zim, which already deploys 52% of its capacity on the trade, is preparing to launch another China-California service, the ZX3, next month.

By comparison, Far East-Europe services are generating considerably lower returns. Even using the shorter Suez Canal route, revenue is currently  at $0.34 per nautical mile to Rotterdam and $0.50 to Genoa.

For carriers continuing to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to North Europe, revenue per nautical mile falls to $0.26, around 24% less due to the additional 3,309 nautical miles sailed.

Latin American trades offer better returns than Europe, although they remain below the most lucrative North American routes. Shanghai-Santos currently generates $0.42 per nautical mile, while Shanghai-Manzanillo in Mexico yields $0.91.

However, rates on both routes have been volatile over the past six months. Spot rates to Santos have fallen to around half their late-August level, while returns on the Mexico trade have fluctuated between $0.70 and $1.10 per nautical mile.

Alphaliner said strong spot rates reflected the continued absence of spare capacity among the major carriers, with port congestion and schedule disruption preventing fleets from operating efficiently.

Although carriers have begun returning to Suez Canal routings on Asia-Europe services, the consultancy said it saw no immediate signs of overcapacity, and cautioned that revenue per nautical mile did not tell the whole story, as canal charges and insurance premiums also influenced the economics of individual trades.