Container shipping profitability is expected to improve in 2015, despite record vessel deliveries, driven by lower unit costs, according to the latest edition of the Container Forecaster, published by shipping consultancy Drewry.

The average container freight rates from Asia to North Europe continues to drop, to $2,352 per 40-foot container and to $1,359 per 20-foot, as of tracking on May 24, according to Xeneta, a sea freight price comparison service. Due to overcapacity and various types of economic turmoil in the market, the market index for 40-foot containers has taken a massive dip with it being down 52 percent from May 2012.