File Photo: US-flagged vessel Maersk Denver. Photo courtesy of Marinetraffic website.
The US-flagged Maersk Denver sailed through the Red Sea on 11–12 January as part of the company’s Middle East–Indian Subcontinent to US East Coast service, according to a Maersk statement on Monday.
The company said the voyage was part of ongoing monitoring of security conditions, stressing that no further sailings have yet been scheduled and that a broader resumption of traffic through the canal has not been decided.
The transit follows a similar passage last month by the Singapore-flagged Maersk Sebarok on 18–19 December, which Maersk previously described as a test rather than a signal of normalised operations. At the time, the company said limited additional sailings could follow if safety conditions were met.
Maersk has been working with Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) on a phased approach to a potential return to the canal, but said full use of the Red Sea route remains contingent on what it called “safe and sustainable conditions”.
Most major shipping lines have avoided the Red Sea since October 2023 due to security risks linked to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza and Houthi attacks on vessels with alleged Israeli links. The diversions have forced ships to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, significantly increasing transit times, fuel costs, and insurance premiums.
The Suez Canal normally carries around 12 percent of global trade and is a key artery for Asia–Europe shipping, as well as a major source of foreign currency for Egypt.
Maersk said in its Global Market Update for Winter 2026 that even if traffic gradually returns, the route will remain vulnerable to renewed disruption. “Complete immunity to disruption is unlikely,” the company said.
Chief Product Officer Johan Sigsgaard warned that a rapid shift back to the Red Sea could itself destabilize supply chains, particularly in Europe, due to congestion and equipment imbalances. “Changes of this size introduce considerable disruption to the networks,” he said.
The Red Sea crisis has weighed heavily on shipping revenues. Maersk reported net profits of $3.8 billion in 2023, down sharply from $29.2bn the previous year. Before the crisis, the company made more than 1,150 Suez transits annually, carrying roughly 127 million tonnes of cargo.
Other shipping firms have also carried out limited transits. France’s CMA CGM completed its third Suez passage in mid-November, including its first northbound transit since diversions began in October 2023. Companies, including MSC and Hapag-Lloyd, continue to largely avoid the route.
Egypt has borne the brunt of the disruption. Suez Canal revenues fell by more than 60 percent in 2024 to about $7 billion, with earnings for 2025 projected at $4.1 billion. Canal officials have said a recovery depends on a gradual and sustained return of shipping traffic.
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