MSC Tests Suez Transits as Container Volumes Rise on the Corridor
Seven eastbound ships in two weeks as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd return services
Container shipping volumes through the Suez Canal are increasing as major carriers reassess security conditions in the region, with MSC testing the route directly.
Linerlytica reports that MSC has sent "seven eastward-bound vessels through the Suez Canal and Bab el Mandeb in the past two weeks," a sequence that functions as a trial rather than a full service restoration.
Other carriers have moved in the same direction. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have returned additional services to the Suez and Red Sea corridor, while CMA CGM has maintained and expanded its presence. Maersk has restored more than 30 percent of its Cape volumes to the corridor and has said conditions are right to move more services back to it.
The Suez Canal Authority has been actively engaging carriers, promoting shorter distances, faster transits and sustainability benefits alongside the cost savings that come from reduced fuel consumption.
CMA CGM has been the most committed of the large carriers. The authority reports that 199 CMA CGM-affiliated ships carrying 5.2 million tons have transited since the start of 2026, compared with 212 ships carrying 18.8 million tons across the whole of 2025.
Those two figures move in opposite directions. The transit count is close to matching a full year within eight months, while the tonnage carried remains a fraction of the 2025 total, so the recovery is currently one of ship movements rather than cargo weight.
CMA CGM's executive vice president affirmed the group's commitment to "increasing transit navigation through the canal" and expects to continue expanding its presence across various services.
For the canal authority, the return of container tonnage is the measure that matters, and the carrier commitments announced so far are staged rather than immediate.
