Developments in the Red Sea: first trans-Suez sailing

22 Dec 2025

As we wrote earlier, we are closely monitoring developments in the Red Sea area and exploring opportunities for a safe and sustainable return to East-West Suez transit. We can now share that an initial transit has successfully been completed.

On 18-19 December 2025, the Singapore-flagged vessel Maersk Sebarok currently operating on Maersk’s MECL service transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea. The safety of our crew, vessels and cargo remains of utmost importance to us, and the highest possible safety measures were applied during transit. Customers with cargo on this vessel have been informed directly.

What does this mean for future sailings?

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. Assuming that security thresholds continue to be met, we are considering continuing our stepwise approach towards gradually resuming navigation along the East-West corridor via the Suez Canal and the 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.

Looking for more information?

We will continue to keep you updated on the situation, as well as continue to update our Red Sea webpage. Should you have further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to your local Maersk representative. Our teams are on hand to support with your planning, should you need any assistance.