Evergreen Line returns to the Suez Canal, marking a significant shift in container shipping as Ever Eon completes its first transit.
Evergreen Line has officially resumed transits through the Suez Canal, ending a nearly three-year absence from the Red Sea route as container shipping's broader shift back to the waterway gathers pace. The milestone was marked on Sunday, November 8, 2026, when the carrier's container ship Ever Eon completed its maiden transit through the Canal. Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), formally announced the return, confirming that Evergreen intends to send additional vessels through the vital maritime corridor in the period ahead.
According to the SCA, the Ever Eon (16,556 TEU, IMO: 1025215) transited as part of the Canal's northbound convoy on a voyage connecting the Netherlands and Singapore. The vessel measures 369 meters long and 53.6 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of 185,000.
The vessel is deployed on the NEU7/CES service operated by the Ocean Alliance—a vessel-sharing agreement between Evergreen, CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping, and OOCL. The service directly links major hubs along the Asia-Northwest Europe trade lane, one of the world's highest-volume container corridors.
In line with traditional protocol for first-time transits, Admiral Rabie assigned a team of senior pilots to welcome Ever Eon's crew and present its captain with a commemorative plaque. The official delegation included Captains Mahmoud Abu Ajila and Yazid Yahya from the Port Said sector, along with Captains Elhami El-Babli and Nader Naji from the Ismailia sector.
Evergreen's return completes the full realignment of all Ocean Alliance partners back to the Suez route. While the Taiwanese carrier had previously maintained a cautious stance compared to its alliance peers, several additional sailings are scheduled throughout November:
- Ever Edit (IMO: 1025239): Following on November 11 on the same NEU7/CES loop.
- Ever Gifted (20,124 TEU, IMO: 9786827): Departed Valencia on November 13 on its eastbound backhaul leg, scheduled for a Suez Canal transit around November 17 on the Ocean Alliance's Asia-Mediterranean MD2 service.
- China-Red Sea (OGRD) Relaunch: Separately reported by Linerlytica, Evergreen will relaunch its dedicated OGRD service starting November 12. The service will deploy four vessels of 7,000-9,000 TEU on a fortnightly frequency, beginning with the 7,024 TEU Ever Superb at Qingdao, restoring direct connections between Chinese ports and Red Sea destinations.
In a statement to 'Lloyd's List', Evergreen confirmed that these sailings form part of its strategy 'to align with the Ocean Alliance's service planning.' However, the carrier underscored that crew and operational safety remain its top priorities: 'We will continuously monitor the situation and make adjustments to our sailing schedules as becomes necessary for the safety of crews, their vessels, and our customers' cargo.'
Evergreen's last containership transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait took place on December 19, 2023. For nearly three years, carrier diversions around the Cape of Good Hope added significant distance, transit time, and operational costs to Asia-Europe supply chains.
Admiral Rabie framed Evergreen's return as a strong indicator that global East-West trade is stabilizing. He noted that the Suez Canal has now restored multiple liner loops operated by the world's top ocean carriers—including MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, COSCO, and now Evergreen.
For cargo owners, forwarders, and importers, the return of large-capacity tonnage to the Suez Canal shortens transit times, improves schedule predictability, and opens up more flexible routing options across core global trade lanes.
