7 days ago
Carbon emissions recovery in ocean container shipping: Xeneta
Carbon emissions performance in ocean container shipping is showing signs of recovery following a record-breaking 12 months due to conflict in the Red Sea, according to Xeneta.
The Xeneta and Marine Benchmark carbon emissions index (CEI), which measures carbon emissions across Xeneta's top 13 global ocean container shipping trades, has fallen below 100 points for the first time in 12 months to stand at 97.4 points in the second quarter (Q2) this year.
The Q2 score is down by 4.5 per cent from the Q1 2025 figure and 7 per cent from Q4 2024, when the average index hit its highest ever level at 104.8.
Carbon emissions performance in ocean container shipping is recovering following a record-breaking 12 months due to conflict in the Red Sea, Xeneta said. Most container ships continue to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in 2025, yet carbon emissions performance on the top 13 global trades in Q2 2025 has narrowed to being just 1.5 per cent higher than Q2 2023, when most ships transited the Suez Canal.
The Q2 2025 score represents two quarters of consecutive decline and a clear indicator of an improving picture for reducing emissions in ocean container shipping.
Record-breaking carbon emissions in 2024 was driven by conflict in the Red Sea, with the majority of container ships sailing longer distances around the Cape of Good Hope rather than transiting the Suez Canal.
This caused severe deterioration in carbon emissions performance on trades connecting the Far East with ports in the Mediterranean, North Europe and to a lesser degree the North America East Coast and Gulf Coast.
The CEI is based on Q1 2018, meaning any reading above 100 indicates carbon emissions per tonne of cargo carried are above levels from that period, said the Norway-based ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and market analytics platform.
The fact the average CEI across Xeneta's top 13 trades hit 104.8 in Q4 last year demonstrates the scale of the Red Sea impact.
The crucial context is the majority of container ships continue to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in 2025, yet carbon emissions performance on the top 13 global trades in Q2 this year has narrowed to being just 1.5 per cent higher than Q2 2023 when most ships still transited the Suez Canal.
This clearly demonstrates that, if there is a resolution to the conflict and the Red Sea opens up at large, carbon emissions performance at a global level would drop significantly below the levels seen in 2023, Xeneta added in a release.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
