International shipping company Maersk resumes shipping to the Red Sea, with 6% -8% of global container capacity to be reconfigured

Maersk Line, the world's second largest shipping company, has taken its first structural measure to return to the Red Sea route, deciding to redirect its MECL route connecting the Middle East, India, and the east coast of the United States via the Suez Canal. Previously, the route had been circling around the Cape of Good Hope for several months.

This route is fully operated by Maersk and does not belong to any alliance network, allowing the company to return to its original designed route model, shorten transportation time, and restore its claimed most efficient route for customers.

The first voyage of this return route was set off on January 26th by the Danish flagged 8650 TEU container ship "Konya Maersk" from the port of Salalah in Oman, while the "Maersk Detroit" will become the first returning ship to sail eastward through the Suez Canal on February 3rd.

The decision was made after the completion of two trial voyages on the route by the two cargo ships, the Maersk Saibaroque and Maersk Denver, as part of a gradual strategy to restore east-west shipping through the Red Sea.

The group emphasizes that this move still depends on the stability of the security situation in the region.

The shipping company stated that it will continue to closely monitor the development of the situation and has formulated emergency plans to cope with the situation becoming tense again. Including restoring individual MECL voyages or the entire route service to longer Cape of Good Hope routes if necessary.

Maersk has long insisted that crossing the Suez Canal route is its preferred option when conditions permit. The Suez Canal and the Red Sea Channel are the fastest and most fuel-efficient routes connecting the East and West, with significant advantages in emissions reduction and range reliability compared to the Cape of Good Hope route.

The company added that close cooperation with the Suez Canal Authority is a core element in restoring route planning. As Maersk cautiously reintroduces more routes into the waterway, both parties are continuously coordinating to ensure safe operations and predictable service levels.