Asia-Europe box rates brace for post-Golden Week reckoning
- Record Golden Week capacity masks underlying disruption, with vessel bunching caused by Asian port congestion raising the risk of oversupply, blank sailings and schedule volatility later this month
- More than 2m teu has returned to Suez routings since May, improving vessel productivity and adding capacity to a trade already facing downward pressure on rates
- An early Chinese New Year demand rush could tighten conditions, potentially leaving European importers renegotiating 2027 contracts against a firmer market than current spot rates suggest
Nearly three months of falling container freight rates have left Asia-Europe carriers struggling to restore pricing power, but congestion, returning Suez Canal services and the prospect of an early Chinese New Year surge are setting the stage for a volatile fourth quarter
