Maersk has announced that it has begun resuming sailings through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, becoming one of the first major carriers to structurally return to the route after two years of disruption caused by Houthi attacks on commercial shipping.
The Danish liner said its Middle East–India–U.S. East Coast service (MECL) will be the first to switch back, with the official resumption beginning on January 15 with the departure of the Cornelia Maersk from Jebel Ali in the UAE. The Maersk Detroit is scheduled to become the first eastbound ship of the service to pass through the Suez Canal, with the vessel due to reach the canal on February 9 after departing Charleston on January 10. Full reinstatement of schedules via Suez could take three to five months.
Maersk stressed that the process will be cautious and phased, adding that it has contingency plans in place should the security situation in the Red Sea deteriorate again.
The decision follows two initial trial sailings through the corridor by the Maersk Sebarok and the Maersk Denver and forms part of a gradual, step-by-step approach to resuming East–West navigation via the Red Sea. Maersk said the move reflects what it described as a gradual improvement in security and stability in the region after months of heightened risk.
The return to Suez will shorten transit times by up to a week compared with the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope. Analysts say the decision could put downward pressure on freight rates as capacity is freed up and other carriers consider similar moves.
