With the Maersk Denver, Maersk performed its second Red Sea voyage in January; a cautious test as security concerns momentarily subsided.
Threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea have temporarily decreased, while the ceasefire in Gaza is still in place. The majority of the world’s shipping lines still chooses the Cape of Good Hope route to reduce risk, so a complete restoration of East-West services has not yet been established despite indications of increased security.
Weeks after testing the route, Danish shipping company Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) announced on Monday that another of its ships had successfully crossed the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The line states that on January 11–12, the Maersk Denver crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait without incident. Before this, on December 18–19, 2025, Maersk carried out a comparable test transit using the Maersk Sebarok.
Maersk maintained that the required security measures were put in place throughout the journey and declared that the safety of its crew, vessel, and cargo continues to be its top concern. Clients who have cargo on board received direct notification. Maersk’s action implies that large shipping companies are still wary about the Red Sea-Suez Canal route.
The Maersk Denver travels the MECL route, which links the US East Coast with India and the Middle East. This service had to be rerouted to the Cape of Good Hope rather than the Red Sea and the Suez Canal during times when the Red Sea was deemed high-risk. This Danish marine shipping line also stressed that, if security requirements are fulfilled, it would maintain its “step-by-step” strategy for restarting the East-West shipping route via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Maersk does not currently have any future plans.
In the market, a number of significant container shipping firms have started making limited trips back to the Red Sea-Suez route. A whole rerouting of services away from the Cape of Good Hope route is still a long way off, though. As of right now, CMA CGM is the first shipping line to declare the complete restoration of round-trip service via the INDAMEX route over the Red Sea and Suez Canal. This service is available for both outbound and return travel, cutting turnaround times by about two weeks when compared to the present timetable.
