63% of Far East–Europe capacity returns to Suez Canal

· Shipping

About 63% of the ocean capacity deployed between the Far East and Europe has returned to the Red Sea and Suez Canal route after three years of detours around the Cape of Good Hope, according to Alphaliner data reported by The Loadstar. The survey of the 10 largest carrier networks over the past month found that some operators are hedging against renewed disruption by keeping several Cape routes in place. The shift back toward Suez affects transit times, vessel scheduling and effective capacity on the key Asia–Europe trade lane, and follows a period in which longer routings absorbed a significant share of the global fleet.

Why it matters：The return of capacity to Suez shortens transit times and frees effective vessel capacity on the core Asia–Europe lane, with knock-on effects for freight rates and schedule reliability.

Key points

  • About 63% of Far East–Europe capacity is back on the Red Sea route
  • The shift follows three years of Cape of Good Hope detours
  • Some carriers keep Cape routes as a hedge against renewed disruption

Sources (original reporting)

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