Taiwanese container shipping giant Evergreen is preparing to resume transits through the Suez Canal, marking a significant step towards the container shipping industry’s return to the Red Sea route after nearly three years of diversions around the Cape of Good Hope.
According to liner consultancy Linerlytica, Evergreen will send its 16,556 TEU vessels Ever Eon and Ever Edit through the Suez Canal on November 7 and 11, respectively. Both vessels will operate on the Ocean Alliance’s NEU7/CES service.
The 20,124 TEU Ever Gifted is scheduled to follow on November 16, sailing on the alliance’s MD2 Mediterranean service.
Evergreen had been the last Ocean Alliance member yet to resume Suez Canal operations, with partners CMA CGM, COSCO and OOCL having already restored services through the waterway.
The move comes amid a broader industry shift towards restoring Red Sea and Suez Canal operations. The Premier Alliance, comprising Ocean Network Express (ONE), HMM and Yang Ming, is also preparing to reinstate additional Mediterranean services through the canal.
Meanwhile, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have announced that their Gemini Cooperation’s ME1 service, connecting India and Europe, will return to the Suez route. The first westbound sailing under the revised routing departed Salalah on November 4.
According to Linerlytica, all three major liner alliances, along with MSC, are on course to restore their Suez Canal networks by the first quarter of 2027. Israeli carrier ZIM is expected to remain the most prominent major shipping line continuing to avoid the route, amid security concerns and threats from Yemen’s Houthi movement, which has specifically targeted Israeli-linked shipping.
The large-scale return to the Suez Canal could have significant implications for global container shipping capacity. Vessels returning to the shorter Asia-Europe route will require fewer sailing days, effectively freeing up ships that have been tied up in longer Cape of Good Hope diversions.
Earlier this year, Xeneta estimated that a comprehensive return to the Suez Canal could release approximately 6% to 8% of global containership capacity.
The potential capacity release comes at a time when another major wave of new container ships is preparing to enter the market, raising concerns about increased vessel availability, downward pressure on freight rates and intensified competition across major trade lanes.