Major carriers gradually resume Suez Canal transits
Major shipping lines are gradually restoring services through Egypt’s Suez Canal, with several carriers increasing, resuming, or considering transits through the waterway, the Suez Canal Authority said on Wednesday.
Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie met representatives of 20 major shipping lines and agencies in Ismailia to discuss regional developments, sailing schedules, and ways to strengthen cooperation with customers.
Rabie said the canal had raised its operational readiness, adding that navigation was safe and proceeding smoothly and that its pilots remained highly prepared.
Flexible policies and continued communication with customers had helped bring a significant number of shipping services back through the canal, Rabie said.
French shipping group CMA CGM has continued transiting the canal since tensions in the Red Sea began, with 60 of its vessels passing through in September, said Tariq Zaghloul, CEO of CMA CGM Group in Egypt and Sudan.
Zaghloul said CMA CGM considers the Suez Canal the shortest and fastest route.
A.P. Møller-Maersk’s transits through the canal have also increased, with the number rising to 67 in September from eight in the same month of 2025, said Hany El Nady, Chief Group Representative for the Middle East and North Africa.
Maersk expects its annual number of transits through the canal to eventually reach 278, El-Nady said.
Other carriers are also considering increasing or resuming their use of the waterway.
Yang Ming is seriously considering returning to the Suez Canal in the near future, said Senior Manager Ashraf Samy. OOCL plans a trial transit through the canal in October, company representatives said.
COSCO is also studying an increase in its canal voyages after one of its container ships successfully transited the waterway several days ago, said Abdelaziz Nabil, Marine Services Manager at Inchcape Shipping Services. Three more COSCO vessels are scheduled to cross in the coming period, he added.
Gulf Agency Company (GAC) also reported positive reactions to the return of several services by major carriers and expects vessel traffic through the canal to increase in the coming period, said its General Manager Mohamed Elalfy.
Rabie said regional geopolitical challenges had disrupted global supply chains and contributed to higher fuel prices, freight rates and insurance costs, putting additional pressure on international maritime transport.
He said the authority’s crisis management centre monitors regional developments around the clock, while its economic research unit assesses their potential impact on canal traffic.
Representatives of shipping companies and agencies praised the authority’s maritime services, infrastructure and fleet modernisation, while discussing expanded ship maintenance and repair services and potential partnerships with private-sector shipping agencies.
Member of Parliament Adel Ellameey proposed that the authority host a global maritime conference bringing together key industry stakeholders to promote its services.
Rabie concluded the meeting by reaffirming the canal’s readiness to handle difficult situations and emergencies and meet customers’ needs and expectations.
Subediting: Y.Yasser