Major container carriers have sharply increased blank sailings ahead of Golden Week, withdrawing 544,000 TEU from the Transpacific and Asia–Europe trades over the past four weeks, according to Sea-Intelligence.
In Issue 733 of the Sea-Intelligence Sunday Spotlight, an analysis was conducted on the rising number of blank sailings ahead of the upcoming Golden Week holiday.
The anticipated increase in last-minute capacity withdrawals has now materialised, with carriers removing an additional 544,000 TEU from the Transpacific and Asia–Europe trades over the past four weeks.
Further examination of this trend revealed marked differences in capacity management strategies across the major carrier alliances.
To monitor this shift, the report tracked the weekly progression of announced blank sailings for the four-week Golden Week period (weeks 40–43), using data collected from week 32 through week 38.
This approach captured not only the volume of capacity withdrawn but also the timing of announcements, highlighting the distinction between early and late movers.
Premier Alliance emerged as the clear first mover, having announced substantial blank sailings from the start of the tracking period in week 32.
Ocean Alliance also began early, though it initially adopted a more measured pace before accelerating sharply in week 37.
By contrast, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Gemini were notably later in responding. Both delayed significant capacity reductions until week 36.
Gemini opted for what the report refers to as a “‘one-and-done’ approach,” achieving its current level of capacity withdrawal with an initial round of blank sailings.
MSC, meanwhile, took a more aggressive stance in the later weeks, with a steep increase in blank sailings from week 36—the most substantial acceleration observed among all alliances.
Despite the differing strategies, the net effect is that recent cancellations have brought overall capacity reductions on these trade lanes roughly in line with historical patterns.
In August, shipping lines increased blank sailings around China’s Golden Week in 2025, as previously announced capacity reductions on key trade routes remained significantly below historical averages.
