Weekly Ocean Operations Update: Asia to Europe, US and Australia 04/04/25

General overview:

The volume for the second half of March picked up gradually and demand in April is expected to remain similar. Vessels in the first half of April are fully booked with MSC, in particular, experiencing high utilization.

 BCO volumes are rising faster than NVOs, with April forecasts showing a 5–8% increase compared to March. Despite an average 7% capacity reduction in April, the cut is not significant given the relatively low demand. Carriers such as MSC may consider reassigning larger vessels to Northern Europe to attract more volume.

Gemini is maintaining its vessels and shuttles to ensure main loops operate on schedule with full capacity. Port congestion and delays continue at key ports of discharge, mainly in Antwerp and Rotterdam, and some vessels may omit these ports to reduce delays.

For North Europe, the weekly normal capacity is approximately 335,000 TEUs. Capacity reductions for the upcoming weeks are as follows: Week 14 is down by 6%, Week 15 by 6%, Week 16 by 5%, and Week 17 by 10%.

For the Mediterranean, the weekly normal capacity is around 213,000 TEUs. Capacity remained steady in week 14, but will drop by 7% in week 15 and 5% in week 16. Week 17 will see a  10% decline, but week 18 saw will see no reduction.

Overview by trade lane

FEWB summary:

Rate and capacity update as of April 4, 2025:

Oceania summary:

Rate and capacity update as of April 4, 2025:

Transpacific summary:

Rate and capacity update as of April 4, 2025: 

Asia port updates

Market intel: Europe

Evergreen adds Nansha to Far East - North Europe loop

Evergreen will this month include Nansha in the rotation of its Far East – North Europe ‘China Europe Shuttle Service’ (‘CES’), aka as the seventh Asia – North Europe loop of the Ocean Alliance. The new call will go at the expense of Xiamen. The first vessel following the revised sailing schedule, is the 15,372 teu EVER MASS, which starts a new round voyage on 9 April in Tianjin.  (Source: Alphaliner)

Hapag-Lloyd receives next ‘megamax’ from Hanwah Ocean: ROTTERDAM EXPRESS (23,664 teu, LNG)

The new vessel is sister ship number ten in a series of twelve LNG powered ‘megamaxes’ that the Hamburg-based shipping line is to receive from the Korean builder. the new ship phased into an Asia - Europe service of the Gemini Cooperation. Hapag-Lloyd refers to this loop as its ‘NE1’, while Maersk calls the service ‘AE2’. The last two vessels in the series, to be named GENOVA EXPRESS and WILHELMSHAVEN EXPRESS, are expected to join Hapag soon. (Source: Alphaliner)

Market intel: Oceania

The first LNG- powered container ship CMA CGM BAALECK to serve Australia, which operated by ANL with vessel capacity of 8,048 teu on its AAX-S service.

Besides, ANL, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and ONE run this service with a mixed fleet of seven ships from 7,300 to 10,600 teu. 

• AAX-S service recap 
• Routing : Port Klang-Tanjung Pelepas-Singapore-Melbourne-Sydney-Adelaide-Fremantle-Port Klang
• Vessels Deployed : 7 X 7,300 – 10,600 teu 

Market intel: Americas

Update Port Congestion in Vancouver

• GCT Delta Port  
  • Terminal utilization is at 90% and vessel dwell times recorded 12 days.
  • Import rail dwell times are averaging 8.4 days. Rail car supply is inconsistent, and Hapag-Lloyd continues to work with both railways on improvement plans. It is expected that dwell times will remain high until the final ships through Gemini call GCT through early April.
  • According to port data, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) has been particularly affected by the Container dwell times, with over 89,000 feet of containers sitting at Deltaport for more than seven days. This is an improvement from the peak of nearly 160,000 feet in mid-March, but still presents a substantial challenge. In contrast, Canadian National (CN) has managed to decrease on-dock footage across all Vancouver terminals in recent weeks.
  • CN has responded to increased container volume through Vancouver with notable success. By adding more trains and expanding average train size, CN has achieved a 25% increase in daily twenty-foot equivalent unit movement, and 52,388 feet of containers at Deltaport. This strategy has led to a consistent decline in on-dock footage and dwell times throughout March.

Equipment update by carrier

Correct at time of publication on April 4, 2025. Please find attached below.