The ebb and flow of capacity is exerting pressure on the shipping network, while the persistence of congestion in European highlights the strain on smaller trade routes.

As carriers begin to choose the longer route of circumnavigating Africa, they need to increase capacity to maintain service reliability One approach is to deploy more large vessels on key trade routes.

This ebb and flow of capacity is not only triggered by the Red Sea crisis but is also result of multiple factors, including the lane restrictions implemented by the Panama Canal due to drought and the realignment of the alliance structure in early 2025.

The deployment, particularly on the Asia-Europe and Mediterranean routes, has led to a significant shift in the global shipping landscape, according to a recent report by maritime intelligence company-Intelligence.

"The need to maintain a weekly service frequency on the longer Asia-Europe route has forced the lines to inject a significant amount of extra into the Asia-Europe trade," wrote Sea-Intelligence CEO Alan Murphy.

For example, when a 24,000 TEU vessel is deployed to northern Europe, a relatively smaller vessel (14,000 to 20,000 TEU) is redeployed to the Asia-Medit trade.

Similarly, other smaller vessels are pushed into the trans-Atlantic and Latin American trades, resulting in a structural overcapacity on secondary routes.

Sea-Intelligence notes that 97% of the vessels did not return to their previous routes, suggesting a permanent structural change in the global capacity configuration.

Despite these adjustments, the market still faces an increasing mismatch in vessel sizes.

While 1.7 million TEU of new capacity is planned for in 2026, mainly in the 15,000 to 24,000 TEU range, vessels of around 5,00 TEU are still crucial for smaller shipping networks.

This ebb and flow of capacity has exacerbated the problem of port congestion in Europe.

The limited buffer capacity of terminals and inland networks has exposed infrastructure constraints, prompting the industry to rely on smaller ports with lower congestion.

Although the situation has e, major gateways such as Antwerp and Rotterdam are still grappling with the challenge of clearing backlogs following spikes in demand.

A report by Journal of Commerce mentioned that shippers that rely on these maritime gateways have taken pragmatic measures, such as extending lead times and diversifying port choices.

These strategies the operational pressures caused by the ebb and flow of capacity and the persistent congestion across interlinked trade routes.