The 2025 carrier alliance reshuffle has upended the competitive order among Europe’s major container ports, redistributing capacity and reshaping strategic priorities across the continent.
In issue 731 of Sea-Intelligence Sunday Spotlight, the company analysed the effects of the 2025 carrier alliance reshuffle on major European container ports.
With the new service networks having stabilised by July 2025, the critical Asia-Europe trade route is witnessing a significant consolidation of market power.
Ports such as Hamburg and Valencia have increased their capacity, largely at the expense of established gateways like Antwerp and Tangier.
To quantify this shift, Sea-Intelligence compared the total deployed TEU capacity for key European ports from May to July 2025 against the full-year 2024 baseline.
This measurement of nominal vessel capacity—which reflects the theoretical maximum cargo space available—offers a clear indication of the strategic realignment underway, although it does not capture actual cargo volumes handled per port call.
Sea-Intelligence’s findings highlighted Hamburg as the principal winner, adding an average of 169,000 TEU monthly in nominal vessel capacity.
This increase, combined with more frequent port calls and larger vessels, significantly boosted Hamburg’s market power.
Valencia was another clear winner, increasing capacity by over 78,000 TEU per month and strengthening its position as an emerging Mediterranean hub.
Conversely, key ports like Antwerp and Tangier suffered notable declines, losing 138,000 and 122,000 TEU of average monthly nominal capacity respectively.
Meanwhile, Rotterdam maintained its dominant status as Europe’s leading gateway port, staying unrivalled despite these shifts.
In August, shipping lines increased blank sailings ahead of China’s Golden Week in 2025, as the announced capacity reductions on key trade routes remained well below historical norms.