The situation on the busy ocean lanes where large container vessels clog up vital ports in the US and China is seeing slight improvements, according to an update from Maersk on the market situation.

The market pressure is expected to continue until the Chinese New Year in the beginning of February, but the container line has been successful in procuring more containers and shipping empty containers back to Asia where they have been in short supply, the company informs.

"We expect space to remain tight throughout Lunar New Year due to capacity reductions caused by port and vessel delays," writes Maersk in the update and adds:

"We still see shortages in some locations in the lead up to Lunar New Year, but the situation has improved from last update.

Port congestion and vessel delays mean that around 12-15 percent of global container ship capacity is currently unavailable in the market.

"Container demand growth is likely to moderate compared to 2021 supported by strong demand from the US. The outlook is more uncertain in Europe where we have seen the demand slowing," writes Maersk.

English Edit: Christoffer Østergaard

Asian container carriers beat European rivals on margins in hectic quarter 

"The entire industry is exhausted. Customers, carriers, ports"