While transpacific ocean carriers stripped a significant amount of capacity out of the eastbound trade in the last three quarters of 2011, they have held capacity levels stable since the start of December, according to ComPair Data.

On December 4, carriers were providing 295,655 TEU of weekly allocated capacity. On February 12, weekly allocated capacity had risen marginally to 296,177 TEU, up 0.1 per cent.

Nominal capacity on the trade has hardly wavered in the last 10 weeks either, moving in a band of 314,812 TEU (the February 12 level) and 319,793 TEU (on January 1). On December 4 it was 314,880 TEU, virtually the same level as last week.

Allocated capacity is roughly nine per cent higher today than it was in early February 2010 (272,157 TEU), when carriers had pulled sizable swathes of services in an attempt to better balance supply and demand on global east-west trades.

It is also at virtually the same level today as it was in late April 2010, at the end of transpacific service contract negotiations that year. Allocated capacity then spiked in the second half of 2010 to 355,584 TEU.

Allocated capacity is ComPair Data’s estimate of capacity made available to shippers on a trade, while nominal capacity is the vessel capacity deployed on a trade.

Related posts:

1. TSA announces transpacific US$300/FEU rate increase from March 15
2. Rate pressure expected on Med trades as added capacity undermines demand
3. Berth construction at Durban Container Terminal to cut capacity 20pc
4. NYK’s December transpac eastbound up 7pc, Asia Europe westbound rises 3pc
5. China Merchants Hold 85percent of Colombo’s US$500 Million Container Terminal