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Maersk Asia-US voyage successfully tests Red Sea transit

But carrier sees no imminent return to Suez Canal

Stuart Chirls
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(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)
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Key Takeaways:

  • Maersk successfully completed an initial transit through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with one ship, the Maersk Sebarok, on December 18-19.
  • Despite this single success, Maersk explicitly stated it has no plans for a full return to the Suez Canal route due to ongoing security concerns from Houthi attacks.
  • The company will consider a cautious, stepwise approach for any future limited transits, contingent on security thresholds ensuring safety.
  • The shipping industry previously diverted from the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks, and falling diesel prices have led some to speculate longer voyages around Africa may be more cost-effective than Suez Canal tolls.
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Maersk on Friday said that one of its container ships had successfully completed a voyage through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Maersk said that the Singapore-flagged Maersk Sebarok, a 6,500-TEU ship currently operating on the MECL service connecting India with the United States East and Gulf coasts, transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea Dec. 18-19. 

But the world’s second-largest liner operator said it has no plans for a full return to the Suez Canal route. 

“We are closely monitoring developments and exploring opportunities for a safe and sustainable return to East-West Suez transit,” Maersk (MAERSK-B.CO) said on its website. “We can now share that an initial transit has successfully been completed.”

Major container and tanker vessel operators in early 2024 began to divert services away from the Red Sea, a key route connecting Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean and U.S., after Houthi militia in Yemen launched attacks on shipping in support of the Palestinians. 

Diverted voyages around the tip of Africa add operational expense and as much as two weeks to a typical voyage. But recent falling diesel prices have led some analysts to speculate that the longer voyages are actually more cost-effective than paying tolls to transit the Suez Canal. 

“Whilst this is a significant step forward, it does not mean that we are at a point where we are considering a wider East-West network change back to the trans-Suez corridor,” the statement said.

Maersk said that as long as security thresholds ensure the safety of ships, crew and cargo, it will consider continuing a stepwise approach towards a gradual return to east-west services via the Suez Canal and Red Sea. 

“The first step is this initial sailing, followed by a limited number of additional trans-Suez sailings. However, there are no planned sailings currently.”

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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Stuart Chirls

Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.