Esgian Shipping RoRo and MPP Market Reports for February 2026

RoRo February 2026 highlights:

Trade Route Analysis – Europe to Indian Subcontinent: The Europe–India direction route experienced significant disruptions, particularly in 2024 with several months recording no sailings. With tariffs on European cars expected to decline once the EU–India FTA enters into force likely in 2026–2027, RoRo flows between the regions could become stronger and more balanced.

Regional Port Call Focus – Arabian Gulf: Jebel Ali Port remained the region’s busiest hub, accounting for 29% of deep-sea RoRo port calls, followed by Ad Dammam (18%) and Sohar (12%).
Several hubs, including Kuwait Port and Hamad Port, recorded port call growth of over 20% between 2024 and 2025.

Port Waiting Time Development – Bristol: Global deep-sea port waiting time totalled 1,102 days in February 2026, an 11% decrease from January. However, total port waiting time at Bristol climbed to 24.5 days in February, up from 1.1 days a month earlier, marking a 22.2× increase. Affected operators included Grimaldi, COSCO, Hoegh, MOL, and NYK, among others.

MPP February 2026 highlights:

Trade route analysis – Far East to Indian Subcontinent: Monthly sailings increased from moderate levels in 2022 to stronger activity in 2023–2024, with several peaks above 20 sailings, reflecting rising demand on the Far East–Indian Subcontinent corridor. Activity in 2025 remained steady with a more balanced monthly pattern.

Regional Port Call Focus – West Coast of Africa: Port activity on the West Coast of Africa in 2025 was led by Las Palmas, recording significantly more deep-sea extended port calls than other regional ports. Luanda and Pointe-Noire also showed strong activity, highlighting the importance of Central and West African markets.

Port Waiting Time Development: Port waiting time at the Port of Changshu surged to 33.5 days in February, 11.2× higher than the 3 days recorded in January 2026. Saga Fortune (Saga Welco) waited 261 hours to enter the port, while Star Lofoten (G2 Ocean) recorded a waiting time of 75 hours.

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