Container shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) will raise dry cargo rates by US$300 per FEU and $240 per TEU from April 1.

The association said the increasing rates on cargo moving from the US to Asia was part of an ongoing effort to restore rate levels after a sharp drop in the second half of 2009.

Lines have additionally proposed that refrigerated cargo rates increase on April 1 by US$300 per FEU and $240 per TEU for US West Coast cargo, and by $500 per FEU and $400 per TEU for all other cargo, including minilandbridge, inland intermodal and all-water shipments from the US East and Gulf Coasts.