Red Sea Services Reclaim 63% of Far East–Europe Container Capacity as Carriers Accelerate Suez Return

Services routing through the Red Sea now account for 63% of deployed container capacity on the Far East–Europe trade, according to an Alphaliner survey covering the ten largest carriers between 15 September and 15 October 2026. Red Sea transits were recorded on 24 of 46 direct services, representing 5.50 million TEU of the 8.70 million TEU deployed. The share reaches approximately 70% on Far East–Mediterranean routes and 58% on Far East–Northern Europe, with Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd rebuilding Suez routings through the Gemini alliance while Evergreen and ZIM remain absent.

<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Container carriers have substantially restored Red Sea routings on the Far East–Europe trade, with services transiting the waterway now accounting for 63% of deployed capacity, according to an Alphaliner survey of the ten largest carriers conducted between 15 September and 15 October 2026 . The figure marks a significant milestone in the industry's gradual return to the Suez Canal after years of diversion around the Cape of Good Hope, though it also masks considerable variation in how individual carriers and specific services are approaching the route.<a href="https://theloadstar.com/nearly-two-thirds-of-far-east-europe-capacity-now-back-to-suez-canal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="4" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In capacity terms, Red Sea transits were recorded on 24 of the 46 direct Far East–Europe services, representing 5.50 million TEU of the 8.70 million TEU deployed on the trade . The share is higher on Far East–Mediterranean services at approximately 70%, and lower on Far East–Northern Europe at 58% . This divergence reflects differing carrier strategies and service configurations, with Mediterranean-focused loops apparently more willing to commit to Suez routings than those serving northern European ports.<a href="https://www.worldports.org/alphaliner-63-of-far-east-europe-capacity-deployed-on-services-using-red-sea-route/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="8" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The return is not uniform across carriers. CMA CGM maintained some level of Suez transit throughout the crisis, while MSC resumed in August and now routes 2.2 million TEU across 11 loops through the waterway . The Gemini partners, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, began returning services in July and now account for 1.76 million TEU of deployed capacity via Suez, while the Ocean Alliance's COSCO and OOCL have restored six services totalling 1.27 million TEU . The Premier Alliance is preparing to resume two services, which would leave Evergreen and ZIM as the only top-ten carriers yet to return .<a href="https://theloadstar.com/nearly-two-thirds-of-far-east-europe-capacity-now-back-to-suez-canal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="4" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://shipandbunker.com/news/emea/932812-container-lines-shift-63-of-far-east-europe-capacity-back-to-suez-canal-alphaliner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="12" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ZIM's continued absence is explained by the threat environment. The Houthis have explicitly identified the Israeli shipping line as a target, making a return to the Red Sea a materially different risk calculation for ZIM than for carriers without that exposure . Evergreen's position is less clearly explained by the available reporting, but its absence from the return wave suggests a more cautious assessment of the security situation or a different commercial calculation about the value of the time saved.<a href="https://theloadstar.com/nearly-two-thirds-of-far-east-europe-capacity-now-back-to-suez-canal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="4" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">A notable feature of the current pattern is mixed routing within individual services. Multiple services are transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on outbound routes to Europe while electing to sail around the Cape on return journeys . This hedging behaviour reflects carriers' uncertainty about the durability of the security improvement, allowing them to capture some of the time and fuel savings of Suez while retaining an option to avoid the Red Sea if conditions deteriorate.<a href="https://theloadstar.com/nearly-two-thirds-of-far-east-europe-capacity-now-back-to-suez-canal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="4" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The economic logic of the return extends beyond voyage time. The Suez route saves approximately two weeks of sailing compared with the Cape of Good Hope and reduces fuel consumption, a meaningful consideration when bunker prices remain elevated . For carriers operating at scale on the Asia–Europe trade, the cumulative savings across dozens of voyages are substantial, creating a powerful incentive to return as soon as security conditions permit.<a href="https://shipandbunker.com/news/emea/932812-container-lines-shift-63-of-far-east-europe-capacity-back-to-suez-canal-alphaliner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="12" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The trajectory of the return is being reinforced by carrier commitments. Maersk expects all its shipping services to return to the Suez Canal by March 2027, with Chief Operating Officer Rabab Boulos describing the canal as the group's "optimal choice" in a meeting with Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie . Hapag-Lloyd expects its services to return in the coming period, with two Asia–Europe services already operating via the waterway . These forward commitments suggest the current 63% share is a waypoint rather than a ceiling.<a href="https://www.rivieramm.com/lead-stories-brand/maersk-expects-full-return-to-suez-canal-by-march-2027-sca-says-90336" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://www.zawya.com/en/business/hapag-lloyd-expects-more-shipping-services-to-return-to-suez-canal-1818295" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="5" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://enterpriseam.com/egypt/2026/10/21/maersk-back-by-march/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="13" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Looking ahead, the remaining questions are how quickly the share rises toward full restoration and whether the security conditions that enabled the return hold. The Suez Canal Authority has reported rising transits and is actively courting carriers, but the underlying Houthi threat has not been eliminated, merely managed. If the current trajectory continues, the Cape route could become the exception rather than the norm on Asia–Europe trades within months. If the security situation reverses, the mixed routing patterns visible today provide carriers with a ready mechanism to adjust. Either way, the 63% figure marks a decisive shift in the geography of global container shipping.

Red Sea Services Reclaim 63% of Far East–Europe Container Capacity as Carriers Accelerate Suez Return

Haulage Times Daily Intelligence