A sign for A.P. Moller-Maersk outside their offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 19, 2025. (Credit: Tom Little/Reuters)
Danish shipping firm Maersk said on Monday that another of its vessels successfully navigated the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, weeks after it tested the route as a cease-fire in Gaza raised hopes for renewed shipping traffic.
Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor more than two years after they started rerouting vessels around Africa's Cape of Good Hope following Yemeni Houthi rebels' attacks on ships in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
"On 11-12 Jan., 2026, the U.S.-flagged vessel Maersk Denver voyage 552W, currently operating on the MECL service, successfully transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and into the Red Sea," Maersk said in a statement.
Maersk's Sebarok vessel in December navigated the route for the first time in nearly two years.
"Assuming that security thresholds continue to be met, we will continue our stepwise approach towards gradually resuming navigation along the East-West corridor via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. There are no additional sailings to announce at this time," Maersk added on Monday.
The Suez Canal is the fastest route linking Europe and Asia and until the Houthi attacks had accounted for about 10 percent of global seaborne trade, according to Clarksons Research.
The cease-fire in Gaza, precariously in place since October last year, has renewed hope of normalizing Red Sea traffic.
The cease-fire brought major combat in Gaza over the past three months to a halt, though Israeli attacks persist with a death toll of over 440 Palestinians since the truce took effect.
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