Ningbo Shipping Exchange (NBSE) said the Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) stood at 1,035.79 points for the week ending Aug. 22, 2025, down 1.59% from 1,052.50 a week earlier, with “overall demand has not improved, composite index slightly down.”
Seven of the twenty-one selected routes showed an upward trend while fourteen fell. According to indices for primary ports along the Maritime Silk Road, eight ports “appear a constant rising tendency,” seven are declining and one is unchanged.
Europe and Mediterranean lanes weakened: Europe 1,083.74 (-8.83% week on week), West Mediterranean 1,234.53 (-3.45%), East Mediterranean 938.15 (-3.51%), Black Sea 929.65 (-3.16%). The Red Sea rose to 1,723.85 (+4.77%). Africa was mixed, with West Africa 1,245.74 (-4.74%), East Africa 1,324.66 (-0.79%), South Africa 2,482.17 (+1.00%) and North Africa 1,136.81 (-4.96%).
Transpacific routes softened as “overall demand remains sluggish.” NBSE reported East America at 900.19 (-3.19%) and West America at 963.54 (-1.79%), noting liner companies “have reduced their capacity input.”
In the Americas, West South America edged up to 1,099.22 (+0.28%) while East South America fell to 1,499.30 (-9.11%).
The Middle East climbed to 1,187.84 (+13.78%) as “the space remains tight and the freight rates continue to rise.”
India & Pakistan jumped to 2,461.29 (+12.69%) after “some voyages have been suspended, resulting in insufficient space supply.”
In Asia, Thailand & Vietnam slipped to 665.41 (-5.31%), Singapore & Malaysia to 893.83 (-1.62%) and the Philippines to 58.59 (-0.27%).
Australia & New Zealand rose to 2,029.83 (+1.04%). Japan split, with West Japan 266.74 (-0.70%) and East Japan 214.22 (+2.52%).
The commentary does not provide dollar-denominated spot rates, carrier names, or capacity figures, and no forecast is included.
Ningbo Shipping Exchange (NBSE) is the publisher of the NCFI. Per its methodology in the document, the index tracks week-to-week changes in container freight rates on 21 routes departing from the Ningbo-Zhoushan port area and is released as a composite index alongside 21 individual route indices.