Asia-Europe freight rates fell 6.6 per cent last week to US$1,149 per TEU, according to data from the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index.

It was the second consecutive week of falling freight rates on the world's busiest route, noted Reuters. Container freight rates have in 2014 increased in 13 weeks but fallen in 38 weeks.

Last week ended with Asia-Mediterranean freight rates falling 6.4 per cent, and dropping 5.2 per cent to ports on the US west coast and down 0.8 per cent to ports on the US east coast.