Ocean carriers on the Asia-North Europe trade are deploying record capacity this month as shippers rush to move cargo before Chinese factories shut for the Chinese New Year, reported London's S&P Global.
Xeneta data shows 1.15 million TEU of capacity are being offered in January, with only 25,000 TEU removed through blank sailings. Planned capacity will ease to just over one million TEU in February.
Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, said demand was seasonally strong and could be further fuelled by market uncertainty. Sea-Intelligence noted weekly capacity of 421,825 TEU, a 49 per cent increase compared with the 2015-19 pre-Cov baseline.
Analysts said shippers were frontloading volumes to Europe to offset extended transit times and to secure inventory before the holiday slowdown.
Hapag-Lloyd said demand was following seasonal patterns, with bookings expected to soften from late January as factories close. Michael Aldwell of Kuehne + Nagel added that extended transit times had stretched the peak season as shippers adjusted supply chain plans.
Spot rates have surged with the demand, with Asia-North Europe prices at US$2,700 per FEU this week, more than double early October levels. Container Trades Statistics reported almost eight per cent growth in Asia-North Europe volumes in the first 10 months of 2025 as US tariffs on Beijing redirected cargo to Europe.
https://www.shippingazette.com/news?news_id=9260100000239
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