This is a repost from: https://gcaptain.com/maersk-eyes-suez-comeback-as-red-sea-tensions-ease/
The Suez Canal Authority and A.P. Moller-Maersk announced today the extension of their strategic partnership agreement, marking a significant milestone in restoring normal shipping operations through the Red Sea after two years of security challenges that disrupted global supply chains.
The announcement, made during a ceremony in Ismailia, signals the potential return of Maersk containerships to the Suez Canal as early as next month, with plans for full resumption of operations through the critical maritime corridor, according to a Suez Canal Authority post on Facebook.
“The return of the container ships belonging to the Maersk Group represents a return in the right direction in the optimal path to sustain the global supply chains,” said Admiral Osama Rabee, head of the Suez Canal Authority, describing the waterway as “the shortest, fastest and safest navigational route connecting East and West.”
However, a joint statement shared with gCaptain by Maersk did not provide an exact timeline for resuming transits through the region. The statement said Maersk would “take steps to resume navigation along the East-West corridor via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea and over time normalize the transits on this route.” It added “this will proceed as soon as conditions allow, with safety of our crew as the top priority.”
Since the attacks began following the October 2023 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the Houthis have targeted well over 100 merchant ships traveling through the Red Sea, sinking four vessels, seizing another, and killing at least eight seafarers. As a result, vessel traffic has fallen approximately 60% as services were rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope.
Strategic Partnership
The strategic partnership agreement builds upon decades of cooperation between the two organizations and follows the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, where U.S. President Donald Trump declared an end to the two-year Israel-Hamas war that upended the broader Middle East—a development authorities credit with promoting stability in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb region.
The partnership extension comes as Suez Canal traffic shows signs of recovery. In October, the canal recorded 1,136 ship transits with total net cargo of 47.1 million tons, generating revenue of $372.9 million—a substantial increase from the 1,136 crossings with 40.4 million tons of cargo that produced $322.1 million in revenue during the same month in 2024.
November figures continued the upward trend, with 1,156 ships crossing and carrying 48.5 million tons of cargo, yielding $383.4 million in revenue compared to 1,000 ships, 38.3 million tons, and $300.6 million during November 2024.
Admiral Rabee also stated that CMA CGM has decided to fully return to crossing the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb in December, following intensive discussions about modifying sailing schedules. CMA CGM has yet to confirm these details.
The Suez Canal Authority has been intensifying efforts to bring large containerships back through the strategic waterway following improved security conditions in the Red Sea. Earlier this month, Admiral Rabiee visited the CMA CGM JULES VERNE, a 396-meter vessel with a gross tonnage of 176,000 tons, during its northbound transit from Singapore to Lebanon. The voyage marked the first northbound transit through the Suez Canal after transiting the Bab El-Mandab, representing a significant milestone in the canal’s recovery from the Houthi maritime crisis that began in November 2023.
The recovery follows a Houthi announcement of a suspension of maritime operations in the Red Sea earlier this month, though maritime security experts caution that the risk should be treated as suppressed rather than eliminated.
In 2023, before the disruptions, Maersk recorded 1,158 ship transits through the Suez Canal carrying 127 million tons of cargo, generating $733 million in revenue for the waterway.
Both organizations emphasized that crew safety remains the top priority as operations resume, with Maersk stating it will proceed “as soon as conditions allow.”
The partnership also encompasses cooperation beyond shipping transits, including Maersk’s container terminal operations in East Port Said, which Klerk described as a “strategic partner” to the company.