Operational Bottleneck
Shipping a TEU from Shanghai to Los Angeles today costs $5,750, with a weekly increase of 12% and a cumulative growth of 40% compared to 2025. The Drewry World Container Index has reached $4,166 for a 40-foot container, the highest level since September 2024. This is not a temporary spike: it is the consequence of a structural reconfiguration of maritime flows. The Transpacific route is the most affected, with rates exceeding those of Asia-Europe in terms of tariff differential and reduced capacity.
The pressure comes from three interconnected factors: emergency fuel surcharges (EFS), general cost increases (GRI), and a blank sailing policy limited to four weeks. The global volume of containers shipped is estimated at 280 million in 2025, but the impact of the capacity reduction is concentrated on a few key routes. Rates from the Chinese port to New York have risen to $7,149 per TEU, with a weekly increase of 6%.
Rerouting and Bypass Strategies
Companies are redirecting flows to alternative hubs such as Mexico or the UAE to avoid direct pressure on Transpacific routes. A container transiting through the port of Manzanillo (Mexico) saves up to $800 in surcharge, but gains 14 days of transit time. The average cost of bypassing is estimated at $320 per TEU, with a 27% increase compared to 2025.
The port of Houston recorded its highest monthly volume since July 2025: 188,276 TEUs imported in May, an increase of 13% year-on-year. This resilience is explained by the expansion of intercontinental routes that avoid the Suez Canal or the direct transatlantic route. However, increased demand has led to a 4% increase in the total volume passing through Houston: 398,322 TEUs, with an increase in energy exports driving container traffic.
The number of containers lost at sea rose to 1,478 units in 2025, a 156% increase compared to 2024. Of these, 640 were lost in a single maritime incident, accounting for 43% of the total annual figure. The main causes are extreme marine conditions in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, along with fires on board. The recovery of 128 containers is the highest recorded since 2023, but does not offset the impact on supply chains.
Strategic Intervention: New Hubs and Reconfiguration
The Hugh K. Leatherman terminal in North Charleston has been temporarily suspended from August 1, 2026, not due to a lack of capacity, but to reduce operating costs in a context of flexible demand. The expansion from 700 TEUs to 2.4 million is still underway, but the consolidation of activities elsewhere within the Charleston port complex represents a strategic response to the decrease in customs volatility.
The new logistics hub in Dalian for Solidigm – specializing in floating-gate SSDs and vertical production – has reduced the average transit time between the Chinese factory and European markets by 32%. This advantage is attributed to the integration of the internal supply chain, which eliminates external intermediation. The unit cost of transportation for a 10 TB drive is $67, compared to the market price of $89.
Impact on Operating Margin
The increase in maritime volatility has generated a +34% deviation in the logistic cost per TEU compared to the baseline of Q1 2025. This dissipated entropy translates into an increase in immobilized working capital: transit warehouses in Houston recorded an average growth of 8% in storage days, with peaks up to 14% for goods subject to customs delays.
The KPI impact is measurable: the cost of goods sold (COGS) for each unit produced in Europe with components from Shanghai has increased by an average of +28%, despite the adoption of hedging tools. Operating margins have decreased to levels close to 17% in some high-tech sectors, compared to the 23% recorded in the first half of 2025.
Photo by Wolfgang Weiser on Unsplash
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