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Only 647 container ships crossed the Suez Canal between January and April 2025, well below pre-crisis monthly averages.
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70.6% of vessels transiting were sub-Panamax ships under 4,000 TEU, a sharp rise from the typical 10–15% share before October 2023.
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Larger vessel segments, including ULCS and Megamax ships, have essentially halted Suez transits.
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Ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea continue to push operators to reroute.
According to the LinkedIn India , only 647 container ships have passed through the Suez Canal between January and April 2025, underscoring the significant downturn in traffic as carriers continue to avoid the route due to persistent Red Sea security threats.
By contrast, before the Red Sea conflict, over 550 container vessels transited the Suez in a single month. The sharp drop reflects strategic rerouting decisions by container ship owners and operators, who have largely shifted away from the canal, particularly for larger vessel types.
Dominance of Sub-Panamax Vessels Reflects Market Shift
Since the beginning of 2025, 70.6% of all container ships traversing the canal were sub-Panamax vessels—those with capacity under 4,000 TEU. Historically, these ships made up only 10–15% of total Suez Canal container traffic before October 2023.
Larger vessel categories have seen particularly weak activity:
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125 transits by ships between 4,000 and 7,500 TEU
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65 transits by ships between 7,500 and 18,000 TEU
Both counts highlight ongoing suppression in mid-sized and large fleet segments, and remain below even the low benchmarks set in 2024.
ULCS and Megamax Ships Absent for Over a Year
Most notably, Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS) and Megamax-class vessels (with capacity above 18,000 TEU) have not transited the Suez Canal in over a year. The complete withdrawal of this fleet segment reflects heightened concerns over exposure to Red Sea conflict zones.
Tracking Solutions for Strategic Monitoring
For stakeholders seeking to monitor shifts in global shipping patterns, Alphaliner’s AXSInsights module provides in-depth visibility into vessel movements across the Suez Canal, Panama Canal, and Cape of Good Hope reroutes, offering timely intelligence for operational planning and risk mitigation.
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Source: LinkedIn India
