Suez Canal Container Ship Transits Rise 59% Since March

Container ship transits through the Suez Canal rose 59% between March and September 2026, increasing from 139 to 221 ships per month, according to data from Windward. The number of vessels over 300 meters long increased from 22 to 127, meaning nearly 100 additional large container ships are now using the Suez route instead of the Cape of Good Hope, saving one to two weeks per trip.

Data from Alphaliner showed that shipping lines increased carrying capacity between Asia and Europe by nearly 41% between May 2023 and May 2025. Spot freight rates on the Shanghai-Rotterdam route fell from $4,092 to $3,485 per 40-foot container between September 3 and 24, according to the Drewry World Container Index.

Data from Linerlytica indicated that more than 140 container ships carrying over two million TEUs have returned to Suez routes since May, with 30 vessels exceeding a capacity of 4,000 TEUs crossing in the past week, the highest level since 2024. COSCO is scheduled to join Suez routes in October with the vessel OOCL Spain, which has a capacity of 24,188 TEUs and is set to transit on October 4. Meanwhile, Linerlytica estimated global port congestion at 10.9% of the fleet, equivalent to 3.76 million TEUs.

The increase in transits signals a recovery in Suez Canal revenues, a key source of foreign currency for Egypt. Conversely, it increases vessel supply on the route and puts pressure on Asia-Europe freight rates. This pressure directly affects the cost of transporting goods to consumers and importers in the region.

What do these terms mean?

TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit): A unit of measurement for container ship capacity, equivalent to a 20-foot container. Cape of Good Hope: The alternative sea route that ships navigate around South Africa when Suez transit is unavailable. Freight Index: An index tracking container transport rates on specific routes. Port Congestion: Delays faced by ships at ports when their numbers exceed handling capacity.