Cautiously more ships through Suez Canal

More shipping companies are daring to sail through the Suez Canal again. However, it is expected that it will still take some time before container shipping returns en masse. This cautious return is also not yet reflected in lower container prices between Asia and Europe. The spot rates for containers are rising this week for the second time in a row after three declines. This week, the World Container Index from Drewry increases by 2%. As in the previous week, the container transport from China to Europe plays a significant role in this. Last week, prices from Shanghai to Genoa rose by 15%, and this week they are increasing by another 13%. Shanghai - Rotterdam shows a 5% increase. Last week, tariffs from China to the US also rose, but this week those rates are rapidly declining again; to Los Angeles by 7%. Shipping companies are canceling many ship journeys between China and the US, yet they are struggling to keep the rates stable. According to Drewry, this is because most Christmas purchases were already shipped in November, and there is simply too little volume to justify higher prices. Therefore, the data platform expects that container prices on this route will decline slightly further in the coming week. A different movement can be seen from China to Europe. Drewry observes a shift in seasonal patterns. Over the past three years, Drewry has noted a monthly demand growth in double digits in December, making strong volumes at the end of the year the 'new norm' , states the data platform in an explanation accompanying the container index. Shipping companies are already seeing early bookings because Chinese New Year falls in February 2026. As a result, Drewry expects a slight price increase for next week. The major shipping companies CMA CGM and Ocean Alliance have announced that they will resume certain routes through the Suez Canal. According to Xeneta, this is an important step towards a large-scale return of container ships to the Red Sea region. Peter Sand, chief analyst at the maritime bureau, states in an update that this is an important beginning. Until now, passages through the Suez Canal were evaluated on a case-by-case basis, with trips planned around the Cape of Good Hope being redirected. The announcement by CMA CGM is significant because it involves a structural change with a fixed schedule for passing through the Suez Canal at each departure, Sand says. Other major shipping companies, including Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, have not yet announced concrete plans, and ZIM is awaiting insurance approval, according to Xeneta. Sand emphasizes that we are 'still a long way from a large-scale return of container shipping across the Red Sea' and notes that in November 2025, 120 container ships passed through the Suez Canal, compared to 583 in October 2023 (just before the Houthis began to regularly attack ships).