Container transits through the Suez Canal surged from 16 to 166 in Q3 2026, despite ongoing security concerns near Bab al-Mandeb.
Large containership transits climbed from 16 to 166 in the third quarter, even as analysts warn that security risks near Bab al-Mandeb have not eased.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported a new milestone in its recovery from the Red Sea security disruptions. Large container vessel traffic through the waterway increased more than tenfold in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year. The volume continues to build as more carriers shift vessels back to their planned routes through the waterway linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas, despite persistent security concerns.
According to SCA data, 166 medium-sized and ultra-large container vessels transited the canal between July and September 2026. The authority defines medium-sized vessels as those over 130,000 net tons. In the third quarter of 2025, only 16 container vessels in that size range transited.
Tonnage figures showed an equally strong increase. Large container vessels accounted for 29 million net tons during the most recent quarter, about 12 times the 2.4 million net tons recorded a year earlier.
"The Suez Canal holds a strategic significance for containerized trade due to the operational savings it achieves and its promotion of the concept of economies of scale," said SCA Chairman Admiral Ossama Rabiee.
Rabiee noted the mounting pressure on container lines from rising fuel prices. He added that shippers also face rising freight rates. He pointed to the canal's shorter voyage distances and reduced transit times, saying the route helps container vessels achieve greater economies of scale.
The authority said it continues to work to attract more vessels and expects volumes to keep rising.
CMA CGM led the return to the route. Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, and OOCL have since returned vessels to services through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. COSCO has also restored some of its vessels to the route.
The Premier Alliance, which includes Ocean Network Express (ONE), HMM, and Yang Ming, is set to return to Suez Canal routings in the coming days.
For cargo owners, the growing list of returning carriers suggests Asia–Europe services could shift toward shorter routings and a broader share of the market.
Two large CMA CGM containerships transited the canal on Tuesday, October 13, as the SCA released its quarterly results. Both vessels traveled in the southbound convoy.
The CMA CGM Pantheon made its first-ever canal transit. The French-flagged ship entered service in July. It has a deadweight of 233,559 tons (dwt) and a capacity of 24,212 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The vessel was sailing from Tangier Med, Morocco, to Port Klang, Malaysia.
The CMA CGM Monte Cristo also joined the southbound convoy. The Malta-flagged ship entered service at the beginning of the year. It measures 158,064 dwt and has a capacity of 16,204 TEU. It was also bound for Port Klang.
Maritime research firm Drewry offered a more cautious view in an analysis released in early October. The firm examined why so many carriers are moving back to the route. It noted that the core threat that drove carriers away has not disappeared. Drewry said the risks may have increased, citing the recent Houthi offensive and fierce fighting near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow passage at the southern end of the Red Sea.
Drewry estimated the direct financial benefit of the Suez routing at about $43 per container slot. That equals roughly $1 million per round voyage, before war-risk insurance premiums.
"The apparent eagerness of container lines to return to the Suez Canal is difficult to explain if the calculation is reduced to a simple voyage-cost comparison between Suez and the Cape," Drewry wrote.