Suez Canal Recovers More Than Half of Its Pre-Disruption Capacity
The average container capacity through the Suez Canal rose to 753,000 containers in early October, with the canal recovering 36% of the combined capacity of the Suez and Cape routes, compared to 80% before the crisis.
BIMCO stated that average weekly container capacity through the Suez Canal reached 753,000 TEUs in the first two weeks of October, compared to 1.457 million containers in the same period of 2023, according to Clarksons data.
The Suez Canal recovered 36% of the combined capacity of the Suez and Cape of Good Hope routes, compared to an average of 8% between 2024 and mid-2026, but the share remains below the 80% recorded before the crisis.
Northbound capacity rose to 81% of southbound capacity in early October, compared to 75% in the third quarter.
BIMCO quoted these figures from Clarksons Research.
What do these terms mean?
Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU): A unit of measurement for port cargo capacity, equivalent to a 20-foot container, used to measure container handling volume.
Cape of Good Hope: An alternative maritime route rounding South Africa, with higher costs and longer travel time compared to ships passing through the Suez Canal.
BIMCO: The world's largest association for shipowners, issuing periodic analyses on shipping traffic and maritime transport fleets.
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