Container-Rate Plunge Shows Mediterranean Cast Adrift: Freight

Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis has led to a collapse in the rates container lines charge on routes from China to the Mediterranean, creating a two-tier price structure as they boost fees for destinations further north.

The cost of a container shipment from Shanghai to Spain or Italy has tumbled 46 percent to $955 in five months, according to ICAP Plc, with the spread between south- and north-European rates widening to $436 as of Nov. 2 from $42 a week earlier.