The decision by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to restore another four Asia-Europe services through the Red Sea and Suez Canal has caught shippers off guard, with concerns growing over whether enough has been done to guarantee the safety of vessels and crews.
The two carriers are preparing to move two Asia-North Europe loops and two Mediterranean services back through the narrow waterway from around 19 September, operating in both directions.
The timing of the announcement has raised particular concern because of the latest developments along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Houthi forces have strengthened their position in the area, giving them greater control over shipping transiting the Bab El Mandeb, whether vessels are heading south towards Asia or north towards the Suez Canal and Europe via the Mediterranean.
Following the Gaza conflict and fears of attacks by Houthi forces, shipping lines had largely abandoned the Red Sea and rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. At the time, carriers repeatedly stressed that the threshold for restoring Red Sea operations would be high.
For shippers, that threshold now appears difficult to reconcile with the latest decision.
James Hookham, director of the Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF), told Seatrade Maritime News that carriers had made crew safety a fundamental condition for any return to Suez transits in 2024.
“Have they received any assurances from the Houthi’s that these ships won’t be subject to attack?” Hookham asked. “Or are they just taking the past as a guide?”
The concern is not limited to the safety of crews. Shippers are also worried about the financial and operational disruption that could follow if carriers are forced to abandon the Red Sea again and divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope.
“It doesn’t feel right,” Hookham said. “In the light of what has happened over the last three or four days I am shocked by this announcement, in the apparent absence of any reassurances [from the Houthi’s].”
Houthi statements add to uncertainty
The Houthi Humanitarian Operations Center (HOCC) said on 10 September that maritime navigation in international waters in the Red Sea was safe, apart from a previously imposed ban on Saudi vessels, and that there had been no further developments on that issue.
Then, on 15 September, the Houthi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said navigation through Bab al-Mandab had become safer and that traffic through the strait was flowing normally.
Yet major uncertainties remain over how Houthi forces distinguish between different types of international shipping.
While the group appears to be primarily targeting Saudi energy shipments, it remains unclear how it views international container vessels calling at Saudi ports.
That question is particularly relevant to Maersk’s AE15 service, which has already returned to Red Sea transits and has begun calling at Jeddah, despite Houthi claims that Saudi ports are under blockade.
The planning behind the decision to return to the significantly shorter Suez route will have taken place some time ago. Even so, the Global Shippers’ Forum said it was surprised that the move was allowed to proceed given the developments of recent days.
“We remain open to being reassured [by carriers],” Hookham said.
Hapag-Lloyd insists on security priority
Hapag-Lloyd defended its approach, stressing that the safety of its crews and the protection of vessels and cargo remain its highest priority.
A company spokesperson also pointed out that Suez transits still account for only a limited part of Hapag-Lloyd’s overall network, with the vast majority of services continuing to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
The carrier said it is continuously reviewing the regional security environment in cooperation with specialised maritime-security advisers, relevant authorities and industry partners.
However, Hapag-Lloyd said it would not discuss confidential security assessments, intelligence sources or specific operational security measures.
Both Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk have said they will continue to monitor developments in the region closely.
Maersk stressed that any changes to services operated under the Gemini Cooperation will remain conditional on continued stability in the Red Sea and the absence of any escalation in regional conflicts.
For shippers watching the situation closely, the issue now goes beyond transit times and network efficiency. The key question is whether the security conditions that forced the industry’s massive Cape of Good Hope diversion have genuinely changed enough to justify a return to the Red Sea.
