Resuming shipping operations through the Suez Canal

The container ship MV "Ever Given" transiting the Suez Canal. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to a TTXVN correspondent in Cairo, on November 25, the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt, Mr. Osama Rabie, announced that major container shipping companies will begin resuming transit through the Suez Canal. This follows the positive impact of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit hosted by Egypt last month to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip, which also halted attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Ismailia with A.P. Moller-Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc, Mr. Rabie emphasized that the return of commercial vessels to the Suez Canal is a very important move, in line with global efforts to maintain sustainable supply chains through the Suez Canal—the world’s shortest, fastest, and safest shipping route between the East and the West.

The SCA Chairman highlighted the positive effect of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in restoring stability in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial step toward normalizing maritime traffic. He also noted encouraging figures related to Suez Canal operations in October–November 2025 and expressed hope that the situation will continue to improve further.

Mr. Rabie stated that in October 2025, 1,136 vessels transited the Suez Canal, with a total net tonnage of 47.1 million tons and revenue of USD 372.9 million, a sharp increase compared to 40.4 million tons and USD 322.1 million in the same period last year. Meanwhile, in November 2025, 1,156 vessels transited the route connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, with a total net tonnage of 48.5 million tons and revenue of USD 383.4 million, up from USD 300.6 million in the same period of 2024.

According to Mr. Rabie, upcoming discussions between the SCA and global shipping companies will focus on updating schedules and timelines for returning to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Shipping companies have announced that they are ready to return to the Suez Canal and avoid the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa.

In 2023, before the conflict in Gaza triggered the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb crisis, Maersk vessels made 1,158 transits through the Suez Canal, with a total net tonnage of 127 million tons and total fees of USD 732.5 million. In the first year of the Red Sea crisis, the number of vessels transiting the Suez Canal dropped by 55%, with revenue falling by 66%.