Container traffic in the Suez Canal surpasses half of pre-crisis levels

Container ship traffic through the Suez Canal rose to its highest level since the start of the Red Sea disruptions, as weekly capacity exceeded half its pre-crisis level for the first time, according to the shipping association BIMCO, citing data from Clarksons Research.

Data showed that the capacity of container ships transiting the canal averaged 753,000 TEUs weekly during the first two weeks of October 2026, compared to 1.46 million TEUs in the corresponding period of 2023.

BIMCO stated that 36% of the container ship capacity choosing between the Suez Canal and the Cape of Good Hope transited the canal during the first half of October, compared to an average of just 8% between 2024 and mid-2026, though it remains below the pre-crisis level of about 80%.

The recovery began accelerating in July 2026 when Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced the return of their Asia-Mediterranean service to the canal, followed by the Gemini, Ocean, and Premier alliances, as well as MSC. Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO, noted that rerouting increased global demand for shipping capacity by about 10%, and that this impact has begun to subside rapidly.

What do these terms mean?

Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU): A unit of measurement for container ship capacity, equivalent to the volume of a standard 20-foot container.

Cape of Good Hope: The alternative sea route around South Africa, used by ships when passage through the Red Sea is not possible; it is longer and more expensive.

Rerouting: Changing a ship's route to a longer, more fuel-consuming path, which increases demand for ships and shipping costs.