This represents a 10.2% year-over-year increase in vessels traversing the Panama Canal between January and May, and is also a 4.1% improvement over the previous best registered during this timeframe in 2022.
The main driver of this trend was the Neo Sub-Panamax fleet of Container Carriers with a TEU capacity between 7,500 and 10,000. Vessels of this size accounted for over a quarter of all Container Ship traffic through the Panama Canal since the start of 2025 and saw a 30.2% year-over-year boost in crossings.
Meanwhile, Suez Canal traffic of Container Ships of more than 4,000 TEU capacity remains a rare occurance and even the Sub-Panamax segment has seen a drop in traffic in recent months, having in May fallen to less than 100 crossings in a month for the first time since July 2024.
Would you like to dig into more detail on this topic? Alphaliner’s AXSInsights module allows you to monitor Canals’ traffic, as well as Cape of Good Hope reroutes, in as much detail as you need