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.
The Suez Canal Authority ended its 15% transit fee discount for large containerships from 7 April 2026 as limited uptake and wider Middle East shipping disruption continued to weigh on canal traffic.
Huarui Long transported a 52,033-tonnes FPSO from Singapore to Denmark, setting a new Asian record for the heaviest single cargo moved by sea.
The Suez Canal Authority reports normal two-way traffic, citing 56 daily transits and recent tonnage totals, even as some major carriers temporarily pause passages due to regional security concerns.
Maersk’s ocean unit posted an EBIT loss of $153 million in Q4 2025 and plans 1,000 layoffs in 2026 as carriers face weaker freight rates and rising capacity.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will send Gemini ME11 back via the Red Sea and Suez from mid-February with naval protection, while reviewing AE12 and AE15 options under strict safety criteria.
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.
