All the major container shipping lines except Zim are preparing to resume Suez Canal transits on their Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean services, and every main alliance, along with MSC, is expected to have fully returned by the first quarter of 2027.
Evergreen will send the 16,556-TEU Ever Eon and Ever Edit through the canal on the Ocean Alliance’s NEU7/CES service on November 7 and 11. The 20,124-TEU Ever Gifted follows on the MD2 Mediterranean service on November 16. Premier Alliance partners Yang Ming and HMM will restart Suez crossings on the MD1 Asia-Mediterranean service beginning November 13, adding a call at Sokhna in Egypt. Using the canal cuts the round-trip voyage enough that the service needs 12 ships instead of the 16 used on the Cape of Good Hope route.
Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have also signaled a full return to Suez by the first quarter of 2027. Israeli carrier Zim is the only major line keeping to the Cape route. Carriers began diverting around Africa in late 2023 after Houthi attacks on shipping. They are now returning because of vessel capacity constraints and competitive pressure, following a temporary easing of regional security risks.
Shorter voyages are expected to push Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean freight rates down further, after November 1 rate increases failed to take hold. Lines are also adding Red Sea and Gulf calls to take advantage of strong Middle East demand. Evergreen is relaunching a China-Red Sea service on November 12, calling at Jeddah, Sokhna, and Aqaba. MSC has extended its Shikra service to Sohar and to Khor Fakkan, where congestion means berthing waits of more than two weeks.
IAM Member Impact: Members shipping household goods between Asia and Europe or the Mediterranean should see shorter transit times and lower rates in the coming months. They should confirm routings with carriers, since some services will switch to Suez while others won’t until early 2027. Members should also consider updating transit times.
Source: The Loadstar