Major carriers reactivated Suez Canal routes
Suez Canal Authority announced in late December that leading container lines, Maersk and CMA CGM, accelerated their return in late December after nearly two years of ultra large container ship deployment interruption due to Red Sea security risks and Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in late 2023. The latest sailings signal a new phase in recovering canal throughput as well as signal to other lines to reassess diversions around Cape of Good Hope.
Suez Canal Authority officials attribute its renewed activity to intensive marketing efforts, flexible toll policies, and an emphasis on safety and security along the Red Sea and Bab el Mandab approaches. Chairman Admiral Ossama Rabiee noted the role regional diplomacy and fragile ceasefire agreements in Gaza play in mitigating attack risks - conditions under which deepsea carriers now view Suez corridor as viable for mainline services again.
CMA CGM utilizes canal navigation for ultra large container vessels to access ports.
On December 23rd, CMA CGM Jacques Saade successfully transited the Suez Canal northbound from Morocco to Malaysia as the lead vessel of its northern convoy and marking what the authority called its full return of French carrier fleet to its route. At 400 meters in length with 62-meter beam and capacity for around 23,000 TEU containers, it ranks among the world's largest container ships and had not passed through it during Red Sea security crisis for two years.
On the same day, CMA CGM Adonis transited southbound as part of a southern convoy and reinforced that message by showing that CMA CGM has resumed their commitment to using Suez as its route. Industry reports noted that while they had maintained limited Suez and Red Sea passages due to crisis concerns and had conducted tests using large vessels earlier, their coordinated deployment signifies their full return as regular canal users since 2023.
Market analysts see CMA CGM's move as an important boost to shippers and charterers planning 2026 rotations between Asia, North Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean basin. Their service schedule indicates they will resume Suez routings on its India United States INDAMEX string beginning January, thus further anchoring east-west supply chains back onto the canal rather than opting for Cape diversion routes.
Maersk resumes transits under strategic partnership agreement with Suez Canal Authority
Maersk also joined CMA CGM in signing a strategic partnership agreement with the Suez Canal Authority late November in order to restore traffic through the canal after months of rerouting. On 23 December, Maersk Sebarok passed through Bab el Mandab in southern convoy while sailing from Salalah in Oman toward New Jersey; she became the inaugural vessel under this new framework to transit.
Maersk Sebarok, measuring 318 meters long and carrying approximately 82,000 tonnes in total tonnage, represents the beginning of a phased return rather than immediate full capacity deployment. Maersk has described their move as gradual rather than immediate full capacity use with routing decisions still contingent upon an assessment of security conditions in Red Sea corridor. Their strategic partnership agreement includes continued cooperation on service development as well as flexible canal dues arrangements and coordinated voyage planning which reflect Maersk s longstanding role as a core Suez customer for decades.
Vincent Clerc, A P Moller Maersk's Chief Executive, has repeatedly stressed the Suez Canal is an integral component of its global network and that vessels should return at full capacity as stability improves. Market observers often see limited transits during current phase as being used as a stepping-stone toward more extensive redeployments of Maersk mainline strings via Suez during 2026.
Suez Canal Authority anticipates traffic normalization by mid-2026.
Admiral Rabiee predicts that Suez traffic will gradually improve through 2026, reaching normal throughput levels by the second half of each year under conditions of security and political stability. Already during October and November transit statistics showed signs of improvement, such as year on year growth in vessel numbers, net tonnage and canal revenues as some operators cautiously returned to operating along this route.
Shipping trade sources indicate that the Suez Canal Authority is in advanced discussions with multiple container lines to review sailing schedules and recommence transits through Red Sea and Bab el Mandab beyond Maersk and CMA CGM's headline agreements. Furthermore, incentives like flexible pricing or targeted toll reductions for large container tonnage exceeding certain thresholds have been added as incentives to offset any residual risk premium associated with Red Sea passages.
If the projected normalization timeline is met, mainline capacity via Suez could significantly lower bunker consumption and transit times on Asia Europe and Asia North America services via Cape routings compared with Suez; with potential knock on effects for freight rates, voyage emissions, equipment availability across key east west trades. CMA CGM's deployments on December 23 of ultra large ships as well as Maersk's first returning vessel serve as concrete milestones towards recovering canal capacity while serving as indicators for global liner network planning in 2026.