Suez Canal Container Ship Tonnage Jumps 54.2% as Major Services Return
Shipping Arabia, September 19, 2026 – Container ship tonnage transiting the Suez Canal increased 54.2% during the first eight months of 2026, as major shipping lines gradually restored services through the waterway and COSCO Shipping Lines completed its first southbound transit since the Red Sea disruption.
Net tonnage of containerships using the canal reached approximately 72.1 million tonnes between January and August, compared with 46.7 million tonnes during the same period in 2025, according to Suez Canal Authority Chairman and Managing Director Adm. Ossama Rabiee.
The increase coincided with the return of services operated by several of the world’s largest container carriers, including CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO, on Europe-Asia trades through the canal.
The latest development saw the 24,000-TEU OOCL Portugal transit the canal southbound on a voyage from Belgium to China, marking both the vessel’s first Suez Canal passage and COSCO Shipping Lines’ first southbound transit since the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.
The ultra-large containership measures around 400 meters in length and 61.3 meters in beam, with a gross carrying tonnage of 247,000 tonnes. It operates on the NEU2 service under the OCEAN Alliance, connecting major ports in the Far East and Northwest Europe.
Rabiee said the return of major liner services was being reflected in improving container shipping activity through the canal, which remains the shortest maritime connection between Asia and Europe.
On September 16 alone, the Suez Canal handled 39 vessels with combined net tonnage of 2.3 million tonnes, as traffic continued its gradual recovery.
The rise in containership tonnage and restoration of scheduled liner services represent an important shift for the canal after an extended period in which carriers diverted substantial Asia-Europe capacity around the Cape of Good Hope.
Source: Alarabiya
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