Global Container Market: Rise of Empty Traffic and Port Geography Restructuring in Europe

Over the past five years, the share of empty container transport in the overall container turnover of global trade has increased to 29%, according to analysts at Sea-Intelligence. This trend affects the ballast loading of ships, as well as the planning of voyages and logistics for maritime carriers worldwide.

Increase in Empty Traffic and Shipping Challenges

The increase in the share of empty traffic means that nearly one-third of containers are transported empty, creating additional pressure on ships and ports. This is related to the imbalance of cargo flows between regions: for example, massive exports from Asia and the return of empty containers back to major manufacturing centers. Shipping companies are now forced to take this factor into account when planning routes and calculating the profitability of shipments.

Changes in European Port Geography

At the same time, according to Sea-Intelligence, a significant restructuring of the port system is taking place in Europe. Following the full launch of the new carrier alliance by July 2025, the main beneficiaries are Hamburg (+169,000 TEU nominal capacity per month) and Valencia (+78,000 TEU), which have become key hubs for Asian container lines. Meanwhile, traditional gateways — Antwerp (-138,000 TEU) and Tangier (-122,000 TEU) — are significantly losing cargo turnover volumes. Rotterdam maintains its leadership as the largest European port, but this trend is changing the market, increasing competition among regional hubs and forcing old players to adapt to new conditions.

Schedule Reliability: Peaks and Valleys

As of June 2025, the reliability of container line schedules reached 67.4% — the highest level since November 2023, showing a steady increase since February 2025. However, a decline is already recorded in July: reliability fell by 2.2 percentage points to 65.2%. The average delay of ships also increased to 4.68 days. Among leading carriers, the highest reliability is with Maersk (80.6% in July 2025), followed by Hapag-Lloyd (74.0%), while most other carriers are in the 60-70% range, and HMM has the lowest figure at 50.7%.

What Does This Mean for the Market?

These changes make the global container market more complex and dynamic, requiring all participants — from carriers to ports and logistics operators — to adapt to new conditions and seek unconventional solutions.