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Maersk to Return to Red Sea as Stability Improves in Region
Shipper to Sail Regularly Through Suez Canal
A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S will return to sailing regularly through the Suez Canal this month as the security situation improves in the Middle East.
The voyage marks another step toward normalization of global supply lines, after Yemen-based Houthis in 2023 began attacking vessels, forcing shipowners to sail south of Africa.
While a gradual opening of one of the world’s busiest transport bottlenecks bodes well for shipping companies, it’s set to pressure profit margins in the industry amid an oversupply of vessels.
Maersk made the first safe transit in December, followed by another sailing earlier this month.
The Copenhagen-based company says the change applies to the MECL service solely operated by Maersk, which connects the Middle East and India with the US East Coast. The change comes into effect with Cornelia Maersk departing Salalah on Jan. 26, the company said in a statement on Jan. 15.
Maersk and other container lines have benefited from the extra transport time needed to sail south of Africa, which effectively has reduced global vessel capacity by 7%-8% at a time when there’s fierce competition among shipowners for cargo.
Maersk ranks No. 6 on the Transport Topics list of the Top 50 Global Freight carriers.
