The IMO opened its 137th Council session in London with maritime security, Strait of Hormuz risks and renewed piracy concerns in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden high on the agenda.
A cargo ship reported an attack southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen. UKMTO said authorities are investigating the incident, following separate suspected piracy reports south of Balhaf.
A container ship was fired upon and faced an attempted boarding south of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations.
The Suez Canal Authority and the International Chamber of Shipping signed an MoU and expanded cooperation as Red Sea security risks continued to reduce canal traffic and disrupt trade flows.
French carrier CMA CGM will keep three services on the longer route around Africa instead of using the Suez Canal, even as Maersk returns to the Red Sea and markets weigh capacity and freight-rate impacts.
With security conditions improving in the Red Sea, Maersk has run a second test voyage via Bab el-Mandeb on its MECL service, while CMA CGM is so far the only carrier to restore a full INDAMEX loop through Suez.
BIMCO reports that Suez Canal traffic in the first week of 2026 was only about 40% of the 2023 level, roughly 100 days after the last Houthi attack, with container ship transits still down 86% in late 2025.
A bulk carrier transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait was chased and fired on twice by suspected pirates, with onboard guards returning fire. All crew were reported safe in this strategic waterway for oil and gas exports.
CMA CGM will restart its INDAMEX service via the Suez Canal, cutting the full loop to 77 days and freeing up two vessels as the container market faces overcapacity and weaker spot rates.
