Maersk tests Red Sea route with first transit in almost two years
According to The Maritime Telegraph, Maersk has completed its first Red Sea transit in nearly two years, cautiously testing conditions along the Suez Canal corridor after a prolonged absence.
In the early hours of December 19, the Singapore-flagged Maersk Sebarok, a 2007-built containership with a capacity of 6,500 teu, sailed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea. The vessel is operating on Maersk’s MECL service.
The Danish carrier said it implemented maximum safety measures during the voyage, while stressing that the passage should not be seen as a signal of a broader return to regular East–West transits via Suez.
Maersk described the sailing as a first, limited step. Any further Red Sea or trans-Suez voyages will depend on sustained security improvements, and no additional sailings are currently planned.
