Major container carriers begin returning to Suez Canal

The world’s largest container carriers are gradually restoring routes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal after nearly three years of widespread diversions around Africa. MSC, the world’s largest container shipping company, has announced a partial resumption of services between Asia and Europe in both directions following a review of security and operational conditions in the region.

MSC joins Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, which announced plans to partially return vessels to the route around two months ago. Analysts believe these moves could signal the beginning of a gradual normalization of container shipping through the Red Sea. Maritime analyst Lars Jensen estimates that, if conditions remain favorable, Red Sea routings could return to normal by the end of the year.

Container traffic through the Suez Canal has already started to recover gradually, although it remains well below pre-2024 levels. According to Bloomberg estimates, the seven-day total of northbound and southbound container ship transits reached 50 on August 25, matching the highest level this year.

The return of vessels to the Suez Canal could have a significant impact on the global shipping market. Diversions around the Cape of Good Hope substantially increased voyage times between Asia and Europe, absorbed additional vessel capacity and supported high container freight rates. Restoring the shorter Suez route would release some capacity back into the market and could ease pressure on shipping costs.

This is particularly important amid growing congestion at major ports in Europe and the Far East, where rising cargo volumes are already causing delays. However, a full-scale return of carriers to the Red Sea will depend on security conditions, which remain the main risk to a sustained recovery in shipping traffic.

Tags: container shipping, Suez Canal