Maersk Ends Two-Year Disruption, Returns to Red Sea, Suez Canal Route

Maersk, the world’s second-largest container shipping company, announced on Thursday it will resume transits through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for one of its key services later this month, marking a significant step toward restoring normal global shipping routes after nearly two years of disruption.

The Danish group said its weekly MECL service, linking the Middle East and India with the U.S. East Coast, will begin a gradual return to the Suez Canal route from January 26, with a vessel departing from the Omani port of Salalah. The decision follows what Maersk described as sustained improvements in security and operational stability in the region.

Markets reacted swiftly to the announcement. Maersk shares fell more than 7%, reflecting investor expectations that shipping rates could come under pressure as vessels increasingly abandon the longer and more expensive route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

The move represents the first structured return by a major shipping line to the Red Sea corridor since late 2023, when attacks on commercial vessels by Yemen’s Houthi group forced shipping companies to reroute traffic away from the Suez Canal, disrupting global trade flows and driving up freight costs.

Maersk said the return will be “gradual and methodical,” emphasizing that safety remains the company’s top priority. Contingency plans remain in place should security conditions deteriorate, including the possibility of re-routing vessels back around Africa if necessary.

The company had already tested the route in December, raising cautious optimism within the industry that the Red Sea could once again function as a reliable artery for global trade following the ceasefire in Gaza.

Before the outbreak of attacks, the Suez Canal handled roughly 10% of global maritime trade and served as the fastest shipping link between Europe and Asia, according to Clarkson Research. Disruptions to the route forced thousands of vessels onto longer journeys, adding weeks to transit times and increasing fuel and insurance costs.

A sustained return of major shipping lines would have wide-ranging implications, not only for global supply chains, but also for Egypt’s economy, where Suez Canal revenues are a critical source of foreign currency.

Despite Maersk’s move, competitors are proceeding carefully. German shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said it would not adjust its Red Sea operations for now, though it acknowledged that Maersk’s decision has altered the industry’s risk calculus.

The partial easing of tensions in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict since October 2025 has underpinned hopes of a broader normalization of Red Sea shipping, but industry leaders remain wary of renewed instability.

Maersk’s return to the Suez route signals a potential turning point for global maritime trade after a prolonged period of uncertainty. Yet the cautious, phased approach underscores the fragility of the recovery. For now, the world’s shipping lanes are reopening, not with confidence, but with careful calculation.