Most major container lines are resuming Suez Canal transits on Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean services, and Israeli carrier Zim is the only major line still on the Cape of Good Hope route.
Evergreen began eastbound Suez transits on the Ocean Alliance’s NEU7/CES service this week. Premier Alliance members Yang Ming and HMM will restart canal crossings on its MD1 Asia-Mediterranean service beginning November 13, adding a call at Sokhna in Egypt, and will need 12 ships instead of the 16 used on the Cape route. All three main alliances, along with MSC, are expected to have fully returned to Suez by the first quarter of 2027. Shorter voyages are expected to push Asia-Europe freight rates down further. Lines are also adding Red Sea and Gulf calls, including Evergreen’s relaunched China-Red Sea service and MSC’s extension of its Shikra service to Khor Fakkan and Sohar.
Craig Reilly of IAM member DASA International Movers said in his latest Situation Room update that DASA now quotes the canal as standard, keeping the Cape route as a fallback for westbound cargo. He warned that during the switch, ships coming through the canal will arrive up to two weeks earlier than ships still on the Cape route, so European ports may receive both this month. “Build days in delivery too,” he said. For the Gulf, DASA’s planning is unchanged: Cargo goes through a gateway port outside the Strait of Hormuz, then overland to the final destination. Reilly said DASA now plans for 12 to 15 days to transfer cargo from eastern gateways to Dubai or Abu Dhabi because of congestion in port yards.
IAM Member Impact: Members shipping household goods between Asia and Europe or the Mediterranean should confirm routings with carriers and update customer delivery estimates, allowing for uneven arrival times while services switch back to Suez. For Gulf destinations, keep routing through gateways outside the strait, plan for longer gateway-to-door transfer times, and require live vessel tracking.
Source: The Loadstar
Member Contributions: Craig Reilly, DASA International Movers