Maersk has begun routing its Middle East Container Line (MECL) service through the Suez Canal once again, marking a significant vote of confidence in the fragile security situation south of the Egyptian waterway.
The move follows months of disruption to Red Sea shipping after attacks by Houthi militia forces in Yemen first emerged in late 2023.
Two Maersk vessels, the Maersk Sebarok and the Maersk Denver, have already completed successful transits through the Suez Canal without incident, representing an important milestone in the gradual reopening of one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors.
The return to the Suez route delivers substantial efficiency gains on east–west trade lanes between Western Europe and the Far East. For ports such as Rotterdam, a one-way voyage to Shanghai via the Suez Canal covers approximately 8 440 nautical miles, compared with the much longer 11 720 nautical mile journey around the Cape of Good Hope. This translates into savings of between 3 000 and 3 500 nautical miles per voyage.
After initially testing conditions during December 18–19, Maersk has now confirmed what it describes as a “structural change of the MECL service”. The Danish carrier said the decision marks “a significant milestone in Maersk’s gradual resumption of trans-Suez sailings”.
Maersk added that the Suez Canal route “is the fastest, most sustainable and most efficient way to serve customers with transport between Asia and Europe”, underlining both commercial and environmental motivations behind the move.
The MECL service had been diverted around the Cape of Good Hope in early 2024 to mitigate security risks in the Red Sea. That diversion required additional vessels to maintain schedules due to longer sailing times on the Africa route. With the return to Suez, Maersk will remove two container ships from the 14-vessel MECL rotation.
However, industry analysts have urged caution. Maritime data platforms such as Xeneta and Alphaliner have warned that a rapid shift back to Suez by multiple carriers could result in excess vessel capacity if too many ships are withdrawn from Cape of Good Hope rotations at the same time.
Maersk’s measured approach suggests that while confidence is improving, carriers remain alert to the evolving security dynamics in the region as global container shipping carefully recalibrates its networks.