Major shipping companies are planning for a potential return to the Suez Canal after experiencing two years of disruptions due to security risks in the Red Sea. Since November 2023, they have been routing vessels around Africa on longer and costlier paths due to attacks on commercial ships by Yemen’s Houthi forces, linked to the situation in Gaza. With a ceasefire in place since October, some companies are looking into resuming their routes, but security is still a major concern.
MAERSK, the Danish shipping company, announced that one of its ships successfully navigated the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the first time in nearly two years, but it has no immediate plans to fully reopen the route. CMA CGM plans to use the Suez passage for its India-U. S. INDAMEX service starting in January.
HAPAG-LLOYD’s CEO indicated that returning to the Suez Canal would be a gradual process, involving a preparation period of 60-90 days to manage logistics. The Norwegian company Wallenius Wilhelmsen is still evaluating the situation and will not resume sailing until certain conditions are met.
With information from Reuters
