Shipping Container Crunch Shows Signs of Easing, Index Shows

A global shortage of shipping containers that’s sent ocean freight rates skyrocketing shows signs of easing, according to an index that tracks the steel boxes used to transport 90% of the global trade in goods.

The Container Availability Index developed by Hamburg, Germany-based Container xChange should stay around 0.35 to 0.38 through Chinese Lunar New Year in mid-February, the online platform said in a statement on Monday. A reading of 0.5 reflects a balanced market, with anything below that mark indicating demand is outstripping supply. The levels had reached lows ranging from 0.06 to 0.13 in December depending on the ...