في سبتمبر 2026, 314 container vessels transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, marking a 14.6% month-on-month increase and a 64.4% year-on-year jump – the highest monthly total since the onset of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
As more liner carriers redirect services back to the Suez Canal route and large container vessels accelerate their return, the supply-demand balance on Asia-Europe trade lanes is starting to shift.
Large Container Vessels Lead the Return
According to Lloyd’s List reporting on October 7, citing Lloyd’s List Intelligence data, 124 vessels of 7,000 TEU and above transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in September. Compared with the same period in 2025, transit volumes for this vessel size category increased by 107 ships year on year.
لكن, the route has not fully returned to normal operations. في سبتمبر, 139 السفن transited the strait with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off, accounting for 44.3% of the month’s total traffic. Of those, 108 were vessels of 7,000 TEU and above.
Premier Alliance Joins Suez Return With Two Asia-Europe Loops
قائمة لويدز, citing Alphaliner data, reports that the التحالف الممتاز – consisting of ONE, HMM and Yang Ming – plans to adjust two Asia–North Europe services to sail in both directions via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
- FE1 service (Southeast Asia – North Europe): To be first operated by the ONE Continuity on the new routing, with the first westbound Suez transit scheduled for نوفمبر 9. The round-trip cycle will shorten from 13 weeks to 11 أسابيع.
- IOX service (Indian Subcontinent – North Europe): To be first operated by the ONE Reliability, with the first westbound Suez transit scheduled for نوفمبر 17. The round-trip cycle will shorten from 13 weeks to 10 أسابيع.
سابقًا, ال Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd also announced adjustments to three Asia-Europe services – AE12, AE11 and AE5 – adding Suez Canal transits to their schedules.
COSCO Shipping is also restoring related services. في سبتمبر 16, ال OOCL Portugal transited the Suez Canal bound for China; on October 4, ال OOCL Spain also completed a Suez Canal passage.
زيادة 2 Million TEU of Capacity Returns, Pressuring Asia-Europe Rates
Linerlytica estimates that since May 2026, more than 140 container ships totaling over 2 مليون حاوية مكافئة of capacity have returned to the Suez Canal route.
حالياً, تقريبًا 35% of Asia-Europe sailings use the Red Sea route, with varying shares by direction. As fewer vessels reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, shorter sailing distances are releasing more effective capacity back into the market. في أثناء, nearly 200,000 TEU of newbuild container ship capacity entered the market in September.
Linerlytica notes that due to fewer reroutings and blank sailing arrangements around China’s National Day holiday, TEU-mile demand growth has now fallen below capacity supply growth, turning its market indicator negative for the first time since January 2026.
لوكلاء الشحن, the recovery of Red Sea routes is expected to shorten transit times on some Asia-Europe services. لكن, rising capacity may also put further downward pressure on freight rates. The actual market impact remains subject to ongoing observation.
Asia-Europe & Red Sea Shipping Solutions From Huazong Logistics
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