NCFI Falls Steeply, Mediterranean and Middle East Routes Hit Hard

The Ningbo Containerised Freight Index (NCFI), a composite benchmark tracking freight rates for 20ft, 40ft, and Hi Cube containers, posted steep declines across major trade lanes in the week ending 5 September 2025. Compiled by the Ningbo Shipping Exchange and promoted by the Baltic Exchange, the index reflects real transactional data from forwarders and is published weekly every Friday at 16:00 Beijing time.

Weekly Route Performance

The week’s sharpest fall was recorded on the West Mediterranean trade lane, where rates dropped by more than 10%. Routes to the Middle East followed closely, also shedding over 10% of their value. Rates to Europe and the East Mediterranean fell more moderately but still showed significant week-on-week declines.