get_spot_rate
Get current ocean container spot rates for any major lane. Cross-validates multiple indices to return a single USD figure with confidence score and market direction, helping decide whether to book now or wait.
Instructions
Get the CURRENT ocean container spot rate for a lane (origin port → destination port) so you can answer 'should I book this shipment now or wait?'. Returns ONE normalized USD figure for the requested container size, a CONFIDENCE SCORE, and the MARKET DIRECTION (rising / falling / stable). Unlike calling a single freight API, this CROSS-VALIDATES multiple live indices — Drewry's World Container Index (WCI) and the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX), read server-side, plus your own SeaRates key if you supply one — and reconciles them into a single number with an agreement/confidence read, so you know how much to trust it. Port names are normalized via UN/LOCODE: 'Shanghai', 'CNSHA' and 'Shanghai, China' all resolve to the same lane. Container types: 20ft, 40ft, 40HC (defaults to 40ft, the size the indices quote). FREE. Use it for transpacific (Shanghai/Ningbo/Yantian → Los Angeles/Long Beach/New York), Asia→Europe (→ Rotterdam/Hamburg/Genoa) and the other major deep-sea container lanes. For the weeks-long trend and a book-now-or-wait recommendation, use get_lane_trend. Indicative market intelligence, not a carrier quote.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| origin_port | Yes | Origin port: a city name ('Shanghai', 'Ningbo', 'Rotterdam'), a UN/LOCODE ('CNSHA', 'NLRTM') or 'City, Country'. | |
| dest_port | Yes | Destination port: a city name ('Los Angeles', 'New York', 'Hamburg'), a UN/LOCODE ('USLAX'), or 'City, Country'. | |
| container_type | No | Container size: '20ft', '40ft' or '40HC' (high-cube). Optional; defaults to '40ft' (the size the public indices quote). Synonyms like TEU/FEU/40HQ are accepted. |