In a major development for global logistics, global shipping giant Maersk says it is returning to its trans-Suez container line service connecting the Middle East and India with the US East Coast. “Maersk will continue to monitor the security situation in the Middle East region very closely,” the company said in its 15 January announcement, “and any alteration to the MECL service will remain dependent on the ongoing stability in the Red Sea area and the absence of any escalation in conflicts in the region.”
Maersk was targeted multiple times at the beginning of the Houthi’s Red Sea campaign, and it indefinitely suspended its Red Sea transits in January 2024 (MEES, 5 January 2024). The company is a bellwether for international shipping, and its announcement is part of a slow return of vessels to the waterway during the six months since the Houthis’ last attack (MEES, 5 December 2025). (CONTINUED - 163 WORDS)