Maersk resumes a second Suez-Red Sea service with US-flagged vessels, enhancing transit times and linking the US East Coast to the Middle East.
Maersk has announced plans to resume a second service through the Suez Canal and Red Sea using US-flagged vessels, reported Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
The route links the US East Coast with the Middle East and India. The Maersk Denver (6,200 TEU) will make the first westbound sailing, while the Maersk Chicago (6,188 TEU) is set for the first eastbound transit next week.
Maersk stated that the structural change will cut transit times by an average of seven days westbound and 14 days eastbound. The Majestic Maersk (19,076 TEU) earlier completed a Red Sea passage, marking the company's first since February.
The carrier described the move as a step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor. It had abandoned the route at the end of 2023 after Houthi attacks forced ships to divert around South Africa.
Maersk tested the Suez-Red routing in late 2025 but suspended operations again in February 2026 due to renewed hostilities. CMA CGM has been the main line continuing transits, with naval escorts supporting vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Analysts indicated that the return is expected to free capacity in the container sector, which has been supported by longer diversions and is now facing the risk of overcapacity as new ships enter service.
