European importers are paying substantially less for container shipping from Asia than in July, but unreliable arrivals continue to complicate delivery planning. Hellenic Shipping News, citing Sogese’s October Europe Container Market Update, reported that falling freight prices have not been matched by an improvement in delivery performance.
Drewry’s Shanghai–Genoa spot rate dropped roughly 43%, from $6,463 per 40-foot container on 9 July to $3,702 on 1 October. Meanwhile, Xeneta’s figures showed only 4% of Far East–Europe arrivals were on time in September, down from 6% in August. Average delays lengthened from 8.2 to 9.9 days, while global schedule reliability declined to 27% in September.
The report identified renewed use of the Suez Canal as one source of downward pressure on rates. Compared with voyages around Africa, the shorter passage enables vessels to complete rotations sooner, effectively adding capacity. Suez Canal Authority figures put container-ship net tonnage at 72.1 million net tonnes in January–August 2026, up 54.2% year on year. Third-quarter transits by medium-sized and mega container ships reached 166, against 16 a year earlier. However, those increases do not demonstrate that service patterns or punctuality have returned to pre-crisis levels.
Congestion in China has also disrupted schedules, although some waiting times subsequently eased. ICIS recorded about 135 vessels waiting at Shanghai and 100 at Ningbo on 3 September, compared with 107 and 78 respectively on 29 August. Kuehne+Nagel data showed average waits at Shanghai shortening from 4.72 days in early September to 3.66 days later that month; Ningbo’s fell from 3.58 to 2.51 days. Such delays can offset time saved on shorter sea routes.
For Italian cargo owners, the benefits of Suez sailings to Genoa, La Spezia and Vado Ligure also depend on port handling, inland connections and container availability. Eurostat recorded a 5.9% annual fall in incoming container movements at Italian ports in the first quarter of 2026, to 1.36 million TEU. The measure covers empty and loaded containers, so it cannot establish an equivalent decline in goods imports. Second-quarter data were unavailable in the dataset reviewed.
Sogese chief executive and managing director Andrea Monti urged importers to assess expected delivery times alongside total shipment costs, rather than selecting services solely on ocean freight quotations. Destination fees, inland transport and equipment availability remain relevant, even as cheaper freight gives businesses greater scope to negotiate.