World Container Index: Methodology

• Market assessments are reports of the value of agreed freight rates between major container lines and shippers or freight forwarders
• Only freight rates that are agreed between participants and on which cargo is, or is expected to move will form the assessments. Rates from quotes, tariffs, estimates, bids or offers are not included
• The rates making up a market assessment will have a validity of not less than 7 calendar days and not more than 1 calendar month from the date the assessment is reported
• Agreed freight rates are to be reported per Forty Foot Equivalent Unit (FEU), equivalent to a 40ft-long 8ft6in-high ISO maritime container’s Full Container Load
• Agreed freight rates are to be reported for cargo shipped under the category of Freight All Kinds (FAK). FAK for the uses of the World Container Index assessed by Drewry is defined as: Various kinds of goods that are commonly pooled and shipped together at one freight rate, including consolidated cargo. This pertains to any type of cargo that would usually be classified as FAK by the container shipping lines in question under their standard pricing terms but specifically does not include wastepaper or scrap metal.
• Agreed freight rates are to be collected for cargo that is shipped in standard containers only and does not include transactions for cargo shipped in Open Top, Flat Rack, or any other kind of specialised container. Transactions for cargo shipped in Non-Operating Refrigerated Containers (NOR’s) are also not included.
• Agreed freight rates are to be collected for dry cargo shipments only and are not to include prices agreed for shipments of refrigerated cargo.
• The value of agreed freight rates is defined as the total ocean freight including bunker adjustment factor and all other applicable surcharges, plus terminal handling charges when it is common market practice to include them, but excluding any surcharges related to inland transportation.

Rates for the World Container Index are reported on a container yard (CY) to container yard basis and do not include any charges for intermodal (inland) transportation.

The surcharges included in the total ocean freight reported by the index are:

• The EU ETS surcharge, if any
• Bunker adjustment factor
• Emergency bunker adjustment factor, if any
• Currency Adjustment Factor
• Peak Season Surcharge
• Equipment management fee/surcharge
• Port additional/port dues
• Emergency risk surcharge
• Port security charge
• Carrier security charge
• Submission of cargo declaration fee /US automated manifest fee
• Suez Canal transit fee/surcharge
• Panama Canal surcharge
• Gulf of Aden surcharge
• Port congestion surcharge

The surcharges which are not included in the total ocean freight/the index are:

• Documentation/bill of lading fee
• Booking fee
• Customs clearance fee

The terminal handling charges (THCs) are included or excluded in the total ocean freight reported by the index are as follows:

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