Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will resume transiting the Suez Canal on one service of their Gemini Cooperation network, the Danish carrier announced on Monday. The move marks the first concrete step by the two container lines to return to the shorter Red Sea corridor since they diverted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope in late 2023.

The Suez Canal shortens the voyage between Asia and Europe by at least ten days and handles roughly 15% of global seaborne trade, including 22% of container traffic. The detour around Africa, adopted by most major carriers after Yemen’s Houthi movement began attacking commercial ships in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, inflated delivery times and freight costs. Within two months of the initial strikes, cargo volumes through the canal fell by 45%.

Viewed from Copenhagen, the decision followed “thorough assessments of the security situation” and represents a gradual step toward normalisation, Maersk said. The Houthi campaign, which the group said was conducted in solidarity with Palestinians, targeted vessels it claimed were linked to Israel. In response, the United States and the United Kingdom launched retaliatory strikes on Houthi positions from early 2024. Analysts in Moscow note that the security environment has since improved, allowing Maersk to test the waters with a single service while keeping the bulk of its fleet on the longer route. During the crisis, Maersk increased air freight via Dubai and Salalah to mitigate delays.

The resumption is limited to one Gemini loop; the carriers have not disclosed a timeline for broader Suez transits. The shipping industry will watch whether other alliances follow suit and whether the fragile calm in the southern Red Sea holds. The next factual milestone is the safe completion of the first Suez transit by the Gemini service, which will inform further routing decisions.