Worsening Port Congestion Masks Looming Capacity Shock in Global Container Shipping

Global container shipping is experiencing significant disruptions, with port congestion absorbing 2.3 million TEU of vessel capacity, equivalent to the world's sixth-largest carrier. This worsening congestion, particularly in Asia, has caused global schedule reliability to fall sharply and late ships to run an average of 6.06 days behind schedule. This comes as the industry anticipates a major capacity release from new vessel deliveries and a potential return to the Suez Canal, which could lead to a significant contraction in global demand-adjusted capacity in early 2027.