MSC has partially resumed Suez Canal and Red Sea services, launching five key voyages amid evolving security conditions.
Mediterranean Shipping Company has announced a partial resumption of services through the Suez Canal and Red Sea on a select number of east-west trade lanes, following a comprehensive assessment of the latest security and operational conditions in the region.
The initial phase of the return encompasses three major trade corridors - Asia to Mediterranean, Asia to Northern Europe, and India to Mediterranean - across five voyages representing a combined capacity exceeding 90,000 TEU.
The five designated sailings are as follows: the MSC MICHEL CAPPELLINI (capacity approximately 24,000 TEU), operating voyage GJ632E on the Asia-Mediterranean Jade service eastbound, departing Abu Qir, Egypt on 24 August; the MSC JOSEFINA (capacity approximately 16,000 TEU), operating voyage GA630E on the Asia-Northern Europe Albatros service eastbound, departing Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 24 August; the MSC BERYL (capacity approximately 12,000 TEU), operating voyage IS632A on the India-Mediterranean Himalaya service westbound, scheduled to depart Vizhinjam, India on 31 August; the MSC ANNA (capacity approximately 19,000 TEU), operating voyage GT629W on the Asia-Mediterranean Tiger service westbound, departing Singapore on 24 August; and the MSC TINA (capacity approximately 19,000 TEU), operating voyage GT632E on the Asia-Mediterranean Tiger service eastbound, departing Mersin, Turkey on 20 August.
MSC has confirmed that booking confirmations and online schedule updates for the affected voyages will be released on a rolling basis. The carrier has simultaneously maintained contingency provisions, acknowledging that individual sailings may be subject to short-notice adjustments should the security situation in the Red Sea deteriorate, with a reversion to Cape of Good Hope routing as a contingency measure.
According to data disclosed by Linerlytica, MSC has already conducted at least seven dark-transit passages through the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait since late July - vessels including the MSC Amelia and MSC Oliver among them - operating with AIS signals disabled and proceeding primarily in the eastbound direction as part of an ongoing operational testing program.
Other major carriers are advancing their own return strategies in parallel. Maersk has already redirected more than 30 percent of its Asia-Europe cargo previously routed via the Cape of Good Hope back through the Suez Canal; Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM are likewise increasing transit frequency or preparing further commitments to the route. Transit data for the period from 20 July to 16 August recorded 1,088 Suez Canal passages - the highest level since January 2024 - though total throughput remains 41 percent below pre-Red Sea crisis levels.
Industry observers note that a further stabilization of the security environment would accelerate the return of additional carriers and services to the Suez Canal corridor, progressively alleviating the capacity constraints that have accumulated as a consequence of extended Cape of Good Hope diversions and port congestion. Each step toward normalization on this critical artery represents not merely a routing adjustment, but a meaningful recalibration of global container supply chains.
