China Shipping Container Lines Co., the nation’s second-largest cargo-box carrier, said shipping lines will avert a price war at the end of the peak season after overcapacity caused industrywide losses.

“There’s not going to be a plunge” in rates when the peak season ends within the next month, Managing Director Huang Xiaowen said by phone yesterday from Shanghai. “Even if we return to half-price rates, we can’t fill up our ships.”

CSCL and other shipping lines made coordinated rates increases in the peak season after fees slumped to as low as zero, excluding some fixed costs, in the first half amid tumbling trade. Larger rival China Cosco Holdings Co. and CMA CGM SA, the world’s No. 3 container line, have also begun talks on axing orders to pare growth and revive rates.

“Cancellations of new vessels will help the market recover,” Huang said. “But, how much it can help also depends on a recovery in the global economy.”

Container-shipping rates traditional drop during the slower season from around the end of October to about April as U.S. and European retailers work through stock ordered for the peak “back to school” and holidays shopping periods.

During the forthcoming off-peak season, Asia-Europe rates may fall as much as 40 percent, and by as much as 20 percent on transpacific lanes, according to Johnson Leung, a Hong Kong- based analyst at Tufton Oceanic Ltd., the world’s largest shipping hedge-fund group.

“We think both major east-west trade lanes will be under pressure,” Leung said. Asia-Europe may be more affected because of the greater proportion of spot shipments and because lines have bigger margins on these lanes than on transpacific routes, he added.

CSCL was little changed at HK$3.10 at 10:08 a.m. in Hong Kong trading. The stock has more than doubled this year.

The shipping line achieved planned peak season rates rises on Asia-Europe, Transpacific and Australia routes, Huang said. The shipping lane intended to raise Asia-Europe rates by $300 to as much as $1,300 per 20-foot box starting Sept. 15, Huang said in August. Transpacific rates were due to go up by $400 to as much as $1,800 the same day, while Australia rates were scheduled to rise by around $200 to as much as $1,300.