COPENHAGEN - Shipping freight rates for transporting containers from ports in Asia to Northern Europe fell 26.4 percent to $545 per 20-foot container (TEU) in the week ended on Friday, one source with access to data from the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index told Reuters. Freight rates on the world’s busiest trade route have halved since the start of the year. It was the third consecutive week falling rates from China to Northern Europe. Maersk Line, the world’s biggest container shipper with more than 600 container vessels, in November reported a 61 percent drop in net profit in the third quarter. The Danish shipping company controls around a fifth of containers transported from Asia to Europe.