The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and A.P. Moller–Maersk have signed a strategic partnership agreement that will see Maersk-operated container ships start returning to the Suez Canal from early December.
The agreement was signed in Ismailia in the presence of SCA chairman Ossama Rabiee and Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc, following bilateral talks between the two sides.
SCA said the move marks the first step towards a wider restoration of traffic through the canal and the Red Sea, adding that French carrier CMA CGM is also expected to fully resume Suez transits in December.
Clerc said: “The Suez Canal has been and remains still a pivotal lynchpin of the shipping traffic of Maersk-affiliated vessels.”
He added: “The return of Maersk’s vessels to transiting through the Suez Canal is an initiative that will be followed by the return of many shipping lines.”
