Amid the ongoing disruptions caused by the Red Sea crisis and the subsequent round-of-Africa routing, questions arise regarding the impact on deployed capacity. Sea-Intelligence ApS analyzed data from the Trade Capacity Outlook database to assess changes in offered capacity between the pre-crisis period and the present situation.
The analysis reveals that the largest capacity contraction has occurred on the Transpacific trade route. Specifically, the Asia-North America East Coast trade lane saw a reduction of -7.5%, while the Asia-North America West Coast trade lane experienced a decrease of -6.9%. In contrast, the capacity impact on the Asia-North Europe trade lane was relatively modest, with a contraction of -4.9%, and the Asia-Mediterranean trade lane saw only a -1.4% reduction.
Despite the significant disruption to vessel schedules, the capacity offered from Asia to Europe has been minimally affected by the Red Sea crisis. The capacity reduction is measured based on planned schedules in mid-December compared to actual deployments. The larger impact observed on the Transpacific trade, particularly on the Asia-North America West Coast route, adds an intriguing dimension to the analysis.
