According to Splash 247, Maersk has carried out its first Red Sea transit in almost two years, marking a cautious step toward a possible return to the Suez Canal route.
In the early hours of December 19, the Singapore-flagged containership Maersk Sebarok, built in 2007, successfully passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea. The 6,500 TEU vessel is currently deployed on Maersk’s MECL service.
Maersk said it applied the highest safety measures throughout the transit. The company stressed that this single voyage does not signal a full-scale shift back to the East–West corridor via the Suez Canal.
If security conditions remain stable, Maersk may continue with a step-by-step approach toward gradually resuming Red Sea and trans-Suez navigation. The carrier described the passage as an initial move, to be followed by a limited number of additional sailings.
However, Maersk underlined that no further trans-Suez voyages are currently scheduled, and any next steps will depend entirely on ongoing security assessments.
