• Maersk will resume transit through the Suez Canal from December 2025 after a two-year diversion.
• The Suez Canal Authority has cut transit fees by 15% to attract operators and revive traffic.
• Egypt recorded losses of about $800 million per month and a 60% drop in canal revenues during the Red Sea disruptions.

Months of disruptions in the Red Sea and a historic drop in Suez Canal revenues set the stage for Maersk’s announced return to the waterway, signalling a gradual normalization of global trade flows. The move interests both the global logistics sector and Egypt.

Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie said container ships and other vessels operated by AP Moller–Maersk will resume transit through the canal in December 2025. The decision follows several months of bilateral talks that produced a new strategic partnership agreement, which represents the first step toward a full return of the Danish carrier to the route.

The announcement comes as the easing of the Israel–Palestine conflict supports a progressive recovery of Red Sea traffic. The SCA is simultaneously negotiating with other major carriers, including France’s CMA CGM, to restore flows through the corridor. To attract more operators, the authority has offered a 15% reduction in transit fees since mid-May.

Recent data confirms an improvement in vessel movements. In October 2025, the canal recorded 4,405 ships carrying 185 million tonnes of cargo, compared with 4,332 ships and 167.6 million tonnes during the same period a year earlier.

Maersk rerouted ships away from the Suez Canal in November 2023 after a series of Houthi attacks, including one targeting the Maersk Hangzhou. CMA CGM, by contrast, kept using the canal, sometimes with military escorts. The gradual return of major shipping lines signals relief for the global supply chain, which has faced longer routes and higher shipping costs since late 2023.

Freight prices have already shown signs of moderation. In early October, Drewry’s World Container Index reached $1,669 for a 40-foot container, its lowest level in 12 months. The recovery of Suez traffic should also support Egypt’s foreign-exchange earnings, as the canal remains a critical source of revenue.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi said Red Sea tensions caused losses of roughly $800 million per month in 2024, a 60% drop in revenues and a total shortfall of nearly $7 billion. In the first quarter of 2025, Osama Rabie still reported a 50% decline in the number of vessels transiting the canal.

Henoc Dossa