Sea-Intelligence: East-West shipping capacity reaches ‘unprecedented levels’

Container shipping capacity deployed on major East-West trade lanes has reached unprecedented levels in October and November, showing a complete detachment from historical trends observed in 2012‑2025, maritime consultancy Sea-Intelligence said.

Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence, said that average weekly deployed capacity on the Asia-Europe and Transpacific trades broke historical records, departing sharply from the usual seasonal pattern following China’s Golden Week holiday. On the Asia-North Europe trade, average weekly capacity exceeded 350,000 TEU in October and November 2026, while Asia-Mediterranean capacity surpassed 260,000 TEU.

The Transpacific has experienced a similar increase. Deployed capacity on the Asia-North America West Coast trade reached nearly 393,000 TEU per week in October and is expected to approach 400,000 TEU in November, an unprecedented level. Capacity on the Asia-North America East Coast trade also reached its highest levels on record in October and November, after remaining broadly in line with historical patterns until August.

Sea-Intelligence said capacity on both Asia-Europe routes had remained elevated throughout 2026, largely because vessels have had to sail longer routes around Africa following the Red Sea crisis, requiring additional ships to maintain weekly service frequencies.

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