Container liner shipping between Asia and Europe is about to reach a major milestone. With capacity already reaching 7.9 million TEUs in May, the importance of this route continues to grow. This represents an 11.7% increase over the same period last year and underscores the central role this corridor plays in global container logistics.

The strong capacity growth on this route is a direct result of geopolitical developments. Persistent security risks on traditional shipping routes have prompted a switch to alternative, longer routes, such as those via the Cape of Good Hope. This has required increased fleet capacity to continue sailing schedules. Almost a quarter of the global container fleet is now deployed on the Asia-Europe route. In comparison, two years ago this was one in five ships.

What is striking is that most of the deployed capacity is almost 90% large vessels with a capacity of more than 12,500 TEUs. This increase in scale is necessary to compensate for longer shipping time while maintaining an efficient network.

Growth rates are also visible within other shipping areas in Europe and Africa. Within Europe, container capacity increased 12.4% in May compared to last year. Even more striking is the increase in container traffic to and from Sub-Saharan Africa, where growth of 19.5% was recorded. This development indicates increasing interest in emerging markets within the African continent.

Against this backdrop, it is important for logistics service providers to continuously align their services with these dynamic market movements. By responding strategically to changing shipping routes and capacity shifts, we remain reliable and future-oriented as a logistics partner.