A.P. Moller – Maersk has completed a closely monitored trial transit through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while stressing that it is not yet ready to resume its wider East–West services via the Suez Canal.
The Singapore-flagged Maersk Sebarok, currently operating on Maersk’s MECL service, transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea on 18–19 December 2025. The company said the passage was carried out with the highest possible safety measures in place, with the safety of crew, vessels, and cargo remaining its top priority.
Maersk said the sailing represents progress following months of disruption to Red Sea shipping, but cautioned against reading it as a signal of an imminent network shift.
Major container lines, including Maersk, diverted vessels away from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal in late 2023 after a series of attacks on commercial shipping by Yemen-based Houthis in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. However, recently, the group announced that they have stopped attacks on commercial ships in the region.
“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,” the company said.
Maersk added that it continues to closely monitor developments in the region and is exploring opportunities for a safe and sustainable return to East–West Suez transit. If security thresholds continue to be met, the liner operator said it is considering a stepwise approach towards gradually resuming navigation along the corridor via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
The first step in that process is the completed trial sailing, potentially followed by a limited number of additional trans-Suez transits. However, Maersk underlined that there are currently no further sailings planned.
Any future decisions on routing, the company said, will depend on sustained improvements in regional security conditions and its ability to maintain the highest safety standards for operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
