The return of container shipping to the Suez Canal is accelerating. The 24,188 TEU container ship OOCL Portugal passed through the Suez Canal while traveling from Belgium to China.
Sea-news.az reports citing Seanews.az, that this was COSCO Shipping Lines’ first southbound transit through the canal since the onset of the security crisis in the Red Sea.
According to the Suez Canal Authority, during the first eight months of 2026, the net tonnage of container ships passing through the canal increased by 54.2% compared to the same period last year, reaching 72.1 million tons. Companies such as CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and COSCO have returned to the Suez route to varying degrees.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have also announced that they will redirect four more service lines currently operating via the Cape of Good Hope route back to the Suez Canal this week.
Nevertheless, the security situation in the southern Red Sea remains risky. Companies state that the use of the Suez route depends on regional stability and the absence of further escalation.
