Intra-Asia Freight Rates Rise for Five Straight Weeks, Port Klang Adds New Transshipment Service, Ringgit Holds at 4.04: Three Key Updates for China-Malaysia Consolidation
Daily Industry Briefing
Three updates today: First, typhoon-induced congestion at Chinese ports has pushed intra-Asia freight rates to US$1312 per 40ft, up for five straight weeks, directly raising the cost of shipping space from China to Malaysia; Second, CULines is launching a new SBS route in October using Port Klang as a transshipment hub, which will increase yard and transshipment activity at Port Klang; Third, the Ringgit is holding around 4.04 against the US Dollar, which determines your actual outlay when settling freight costs in Ringgit.
Today's Three Stories
1. Typhoon Congestion Drives Up Intra-Asia Freight Rates, Drewry Index Rises for Five Straight Weeks to US$1312 per 40ft
On September 3, Drewry's Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI) rose 9% from August 27 to US$1312 per 40ft, marking the fifth consecutive week of increases
The Loadstar · 2026-09-10 · Read Original ↗
2. CULines Launches SBS Route in October, Using Port Klang as Transshipment Hub to Connect with Kolkata
The new SBS route is scheduled to launch in October 2026, directly connecting Port Klang with Kolkata, India
India Shipping News · 2026-09-09 · Read Original ↗
3. Ringgit Holds at 4.04 Level Amid Rising US Rate Hike Expectations
At 8am on September 8, the Ringgit was quoted at 4.0420/0480 against the US Dollar, compared to 4.0440/0485 at the previous close
BusinessToday Malaysia · 2026-09-08 · Read Original ↗
HASTE Analysis
This rate surge isn't demand-driven—it's typhoons choking capacity, and the timing collides directly with Golden Week
Let's first understand what this 9% increase actually represents. The IACI rose to US$1312 per 40ft from last week, reflecting overall intra-Asia freight space pricing—not the total landed cost to Malaysia. The real transmission mechanism is berth waiting time: average waiting times of 98 hours in Shanghai and 54 hours in Ningbo in Week 35 mean a vessel effectively loses four extra days per round trip. To maintain weekly schedules, carriers have no choice but to skip ports or shorten cut-off windows at subsequent calls, which squeezes out capacity on the China-Southeast Asia feeder routes. The 28% weekly jump in Shanghai-Laem Chabang rates to US$1310 shows this price increase has already hit Southeast Asia-bound routes, not just the major East-West trunk lines.
This is a condensed version. The full briefing, with every key point, the cost comparison table and the recommended actions, is published on the Haste website:
This article's data is sourced from public reports. Freight rates and exchange rates are subject to change at any time; actual costs are subject to official quotations and booking confirmations.
11 Sep 2026
