The 63% of container shipping capacity deployed between the Far East and Europe is already allocated to services using the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, according to the latest analysis published this Wednesday, October 21, by maritime consultancy Alphaliner. The study, conducted between September 15 and October 15, 2026, identifies 5.5 million TEUs of capacity assigned to these routes, out of a total of 8.7 million TEUs operated by the ten leading container shipping lines.
Alphaliner’s research examines the itineraries of 46 direct services connecting Asian ports with Europe. During the period analyzed, the consultancy identified 24 services in which container ship transits through the Red Sea were recorded, although companies are maintaining different operational strategies for restoring this shipping route.
Capacity distribution differs by destination market. On routes between the Far East and Mediterranean ports, services that include transits through the Red Sea account for 70% of deployed capacity. On routes between Asia and northern Europe, this share stands at 58%.
The restoration of Suez routes follows changes introduced by shipping lines in late 2023, when Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea led to numerous services being diverted around the Cape of Good Hope. On November 19 of that year, the vessel Galaxy Leader was hijacked, one of the first incidents in the crisis that affected commercial shipping in the area.
Alphaliner notes that the return of services to the Red Sea corridor is continuing gradually. In some cases, container ships use the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal on their voyages to Europe, while the return trip to Asia is made around the African continent via the Cape of Good Hope.
Among the companies that have partially resumed operations on this route is MSC, which announced on August 24 the resumption of Suez transits on certain services between Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean. The shipping line stipulated that these changes would be applied to each connection individually, while maintaining contingency measures in case of possible changes in security conditions.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, members of the Gemini cooperation, announced in September that they would change the itineraries of services AE5, AE11, AE12, and ME2 to use the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope. Both companies made the implementation of these changes conditional on the development of maritime security in the region.
The Port of Algeciras is among the ports of call for several services included in Gemini’s reorganization. The AE5 and AE12 connections include operations at the port facilities in Algeciras as part of their rotations between Asia and Europe. In addition, on October 19, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced the addition of a new service, named AE18 and SE5, respectively, which will connect Shanghai, Xiamen, and Tanjung Pelepas with Algeciras and Tanger Med.
The first departure of this service from Shanghai is scheduled for November 22, aboard the container ship Maersk Edirne. Its rotation includes two calls at the Port of Algeciras, one before and one after the call at Tanger Med, according to the schedule released by the shipping lines.
