Danish shipping giant Maersk and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd are expanding their gradual return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, with another service under their Gemini Cooperation network set to resume sailing through the strategic waterway.
Maersk said on Monday that the additional container service will return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, marking another step in the carriers’ phased restoration of services through the region.
The Asia-Europe trade route through the Suez Canal was largely abandoned by major container shipping lines earlier this decade following attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen-based Houthi forces. Carriers subsequently diverted ships around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, significantly increasing sailing distances, transit times and fuel consumption.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced in early July that one of their Gemini services linking Asia with the Mediterranean and Europe would resume Suez Canal transits. Maersk subsequently announced that another service connecting the Middle East with the U.S. East Coast would also return to the Suez route.
The latest move signals a cautious but growing shift back towards the Suez Canal as shipping lines assess security conditions in the Red Sea. A broader return could reduce voyage distances and transit times between Asia and Europe while easing the additional costs associated with Cape of Good Hope diversions.
However, the carriers are expected to continue monitoring security conditions closely as the Red Sea remains a sensitive maritime corridor.
The Suez Canal is a critical artery for global container trade, and a sustained return of major carriers could have significant implications for vessel capacity, freight rates, schedule reliability and port congestion across Asia-Europe trade lanes.