A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S has safely sailed another vessel through the southern part of the Red Sea — its second successful attempt after most shipping lines have steered clear of the area for nearly two years. The voyage marks another step toward normalization of global supply lines after Yemen-based Houthis began attacking vessels in 2023, forcing ship owners to reroute around the southern tip of Africa. Maersk has said it will now "gradually" continue resuming transits as the security situation appears to be improving.
The Maersk Denver, a U.S.-flagged container vessel, successfully transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea on January 11-12, the Copenhagen-based carrier said in a statement late on January 12. Maersk noted it had taken "necessary safety measures" during the transit, without providing additional details on what those steps involved.
While a gradual reopening of one of the world's busiest transport bottlenecks bodes well for global supply lines, it is also expected to weigh on profit margins in the shipping industry. Maersk and other container lines have benefited from the extra transit time required to sail south of Africa, which has effectively reduced global vessel capacity by 7-8% — a meaningful cushion at a time of fierce competition for cargo among ship owners.
Maersk made its first safe transit in December. In the January 12 statement, the company said it had "no additional sailings to announce at this time" for the area. Still, "assuming that security thresholds continue to be met, we will continue our stepwise approach," the company said. From a supply chain perspective, the gradual reopening of the Suez Canal route will pressure spot freight rates, particularly on Europe-Asia container lanes, while persistent security uncertainty continues to reshape insurance premiums and charter contract structures.
