After nearly two years of avoiding the area, Maersk has just taken a symbolic step: one of its container ships made a passage thru the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between December 18 and 19. The Danish group presents this crossing as a test conducted under maximum security measures, in a context where operators have largely favored bypassing via the Cape of Good Hope.
But Maersk immediately tempers any overly optimistic reading: this success does not mean a massive and automatic return to the routes via Suez. The company explains that it is monitoring the evolution of the risk and that it is only considering a gradual resumption, conditioned by safety thresholds deemed acceptable for ships, crews, and cargo. The idea is to proceed in stages: a first transit, then potentially a few limited crossings, without a general shift of the East-West network at this stage.
In the industry, this type of test is closely scrutinized: the Suez route can significantly shorten rotations, but safety remains the determining factor. Maersk insists: no broad resumption schedule is announced for now, and the decision will depend on stable operational conditions.
