SHANGHAI, March 15 -- China's export container shipping price index jumped 20.9 percent month on month in February, data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange shows.

The average China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI) stood at 1,440.74 last month, according to the shipping exchange.

The sub-reading for the West Coast America service recorded the largest increase, with a month-on-month growth of 33.8 percent, followed by that for the Europe service.

Bucking the upward trend, the sub-reading for the Persian Gulf/Red Sea service fell 1.8 percent from the previous month.

The CCFI tracks spot and contractual freight rates from Chinese container ports on 12 shipping routes across the globe, based on data from 22 international carriers.

The index was set at 1,000 on Jan. 1, 1998.