Suez Canal shipping route: 70% of Asia-Mediterranean capacity

THURSDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2026

According to Alphaliner, between mid-September and mid-October 24 of 46 Asia-Europe services went through the Red Sea: 5.5 million TEU out of 8.7. The return mainly involves Europe-bound ships.

Suez Canal shipping route: between 15 September and 15 October 2026 about 70% of the capacity deployed by the largest carriers on Far East-Mediterranean services went through the Red Sea and the canal. That is the finding of an analysis by research firm Alphaliner, which puts the share at 63% across the whole Asia-Europe trade.

What Alphaliner measured

The analysis covers the ten largest container carriers and their direct services between the Far East and Europe in the month from 15 September to 15 October 2026. Of 46 active services, 24 included a Red Sea transit. Measured by capacity, these services deploy 5.5 million TEU out of the 8.7 million on the whole trade.

The share varies a lot by destination. On services to the Mediterranean the Suez routing accounts for about 70% of capacity, on those to Northern Europe for 58%. For anyone receiving goods at Italian ports, the first figure is the one that matters.

The Suez route in numbers

• Direct Far East-Europe services of the top ten carriers with a Red Sea transit, 15 September-15 October 2026: 24 out of 46.
• Capacity deployed on these services, same period: 5.5 million TEU out of 8.7 million, or 63%.
• Share of capacity routed via Suez on Far East-Mediterranean services: about 70%.
• Share of capacity routed via Suez on Far East-Northern Europe services: 58%.

The figures measure capacity deployed on services, not individual voyages or containers actually loaded. A service is counted even if it uses the Red Sea in one direction only.

A return that starts with Europe-bound ships

Alphaliner describes mixed routings. Some ships sail up the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal on the voyage to Europe, but return to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope. Carriers are restoring transits gradually and giving priority to the east-to-west direction, which is exactly the direction of imports from Asia.

This is a change of direction from early autumn, when the first returns to the canal mostly involved voyages back to Asia. The security picture in the Red Sea, however, has been unstable since late 2023, and the routing choice can change from one sailing to the next.

Suez Canal shipping route: what it means for importers

The figure does not say how much a single shipment's transit time will shorten, nor whether freight rates will fall. It does signal that on more than two thirds of the capacity bound for the Mediterranean the ship now has a good chance of taking the shorter route, and that estimated arrival dates may shift accordingly, in either direction.

For anyone importing from Asia, three points are worth keeping in mind.

The first is the routing of the individual ship: when booking, ask your forwarder whether the chosen service goes via Suez or the Cape on the voyage to Italy, because two services from the same port of loading can follow different routes.

The second is the delivery dates promised to customers: with mixed routings and a security situation that can change, leave a margin and update the arrival date after departure, not only at booking.

The third is cost items: if the service returns to the canal, it makes sense to ask how routing-related surcharges, such as war risk or bunker surcharges, change, and to check it on the written quote.

Shipments from Asia with a verified routing

With about 70% of Asia-Mediterranean capacity back on the Suez route but return legs still going around Africa, what makes the difference is knowing which way your own ship goes. That is the work La Merce does for companies importing from Asia: checking the routing of the booked service with the forwarder, updating the arrival date after departure and making sure the surcharges on the quote match the actual route.

Let's talk about your productprojectconceptgoalbrandproductprojectconceptgoalbrandproductprojectconceptgoalbrandproduct