YES Containers

You're going to see a lot of posts this week saying container prices are about to explode because of the shipping crisis.

We checked. They're not.

Ocean freight rates were flat last week and flat the week before — $4,476 for a 40ft box on the main index, barely moved. Rates did jump hard, but that happened back in the spring when the Strait of Hormuz closed. It already happened. It's in the price.

The real news is grimmer and quieter. Hormuz is in its seventh month shut — six ships got through on 6 September, against 85 a day before the war. The Houthis took the last of Yemen's Red Sea coast over the weekend. The UN's shipping agency is now tracking four separate war zones at sea at the same time.

So does any of it change what you pay for a container in your yard?

Some of it, honestly, yes — one-trip containers come from China on a ship, and that freight is expensive right now. Used containers, much less so, and much slower.

We laid out the whole thing, including the part where we tell you not to panic-buy:

Global Shipping Crisis 2026: Hormuz, the Red Sea, Black Sea and What It Actually Does to Container Prices Last updated: 14 September 2026 · By Adrian Stan-Stefanescu, Founder, YES Containers The short version. The global shipping crisis is real and it is getting worse, but the headline number everyone is quoting is wrong. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since 28 February — six transi...

Twenty-five years.

We remember the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, and the firefighters, police officers, and paramedics who went in while everyone else was coming out.

We also remember the ironworkers, crane operators, and truck drivers who spent the next nine months clearing what was left — one load at a time, in the dark, in the rain, until the last piece of steel came out.

Working people showed up. They always do.

Never forget.

It made it.

The first scheduled container ship to run the Arctic route from China to Europe docked in Britain this morning — over the top of Russia, through the Bering Strait, 7,844 nautical miles in 21 days.

Here's the part nobody's mentioning. It was booked into Felixstowe on Monday. It turned up at Teesport today instead. Four days late, wrong port. The route is being sold on a 20-day transit; this one took about 25 from Ningbo.

Still two weeks quicker than the Suez Canal. Just not the number on the brochure.

We wrote up the whole thing — the real timings, why the big carriers are staying away from it, and the question we get asked every time shipping is in the news: does any of this change what a container costs here in the States?

Short answer, no. And we'd rather tell you that than sell you a panic.

Full story:

Arctic Shipping Route 2026: The Ship Just Arrived — 4 Days Late, and at the Wrong Port Arctic Shipping Route 2026: The Ship Just Arrived — 4 Days Late, and at the Wrong Port Last updated: 9 September 2026 · By Adrian Stan, Founder, YES Containers The Arctic shipping route just delivered its first scheduled container ship — and it arrived late, at the wrong port. The Dubai Tower d...

🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day from YES Containers!

Today we recognize the builders, contractors, drivers, tradespeople, crews, and hardworking professionals who keep America moving forward — one project at a time.

We’re proud to support job sites across the country with shipping containers that help keep tools, equipment, and materials secure and organized.

Enjoy the well-earned day, and thank you for the work you do.



Give a shoutout in the comments to someone whose hard work deserves recognition today.