Maersk moves first dedicated service route back to Suez Canal

Maersk said its Middle East Container Line (MECL) service has returned to its original routeing, via the Suez Canal and Red Sea.

The service, which connects the Middle East and India with the US East Coast, is solely operated by Maersk.

In a statement on the decision to return to the Suez, the company called the rerouteing "the first structural change of a service back to the trans-Suez route. 

The company has, however, been progressing toward a return to the Suez since late 2025, after a press conference with the Suez Canal Authority attended by Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc.

The company tested the waters with two individual sailings, which the company called "successful trans-Suez transits" by Maersk Sebarok and Maersk Denver in December. 

Maersk said the trans-Suez service, which, like most container shipping services, has been rerouteing around Africa since Yemen’s rebel Houthi militia began systematically targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea in late 2023, offers the most efficient transit times for vessels and cargo. Sailing around Africa takes, on average, two weeks longer than a trip via the Suez Canal. 

The line said its decision to return to a route through the Suez is contingent upon the security situation in the Middle East region.

"Any alteration to the MECL service will remain dependent on the ongoing stability in the Red Sea area and the absence of any escalation in conflicts in the region," Maersk said, noting it will continue to monitor the region closely and prioritise crew and vessel safety.

With Houthi forces attacking commercial vessels around 100 times since November 2023, quarterly deadweight tonnage capacity transiting the Suez Canal has dropped by between 57%-64% in the two years that have followed, according to analysis from BIMCO. And the drop in vessel traffic on the global shipping shortcut has persisted more than three months after the last time Houthi forces attacked a commercial vessel. The Houthis declared an end to attacks on ships on 11 November 2025.

Calling the trans-Suez route the ’preferred route’, Maersk said its return to the waterway marks a milestone in its plans to return more of its services to sailing in the region.

"The structural change of the MECL service is a significant milestone in Maersk’s gradual resumption of trans-Suez sailings. The strategic partnership between Maersk and the Suez Canal Authority has played a key role in the planning of the return. Collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority and other strategic partners in the region continues to be critical to ensure that the structural change of the MECL service and any next steps in a gradual trans-Suez return happen in a way that ensures the safety of the operations and safeguards predictability and stability for customers," the line said.