Maersk’s Red Sea transit being seen as a gradual normalisation

Maersk has transited the Red Sea for the first time in nearly two years, signalling a possible shift for the ocean carrier as it weighs a more regular return to the waterway. On Dec. 18-19, 2025, the Singapore-flagged vessel Maersk Sebarok, currently operating on the liner’s MECL service, transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the southern Red Sea. Within that service, vessels sail from several Middle Eastern and Indian ports to and from stops on the US East and Gulf Coasts. Mr Lars Jensen, CEO of container shipping consultancy Vespucci Maritime, said that, irrespective of the limited and cautious approach, it does indicate the trade could be nearing a gradual normalisation. Most major ocean carriers rerouted vessels around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope starting in December 2023 after Houthi rebels based out of Yemen started attacking ships in the Red Sea with drones and missiles, as per a report.

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