ports

Container Traffic Through Suez Canal Hits 10-Week Peak

Container vessel transits through the Suez Canal and Red Sea reached their highest level in 10 weeks during mid-May. The week ending May 17 saw 32 containership passages, up from 22 the prior week, according to shipping data from Drewry. Most carriers continue avoiding the route. Only CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping Co., and Maersk deployed vessels exceeding 8,000 twenty-foot equivalent units through the canal that week. Maersk's renewed participation remains limited to northern canal operations through a joint service with Hapag-Lloyd. Approximately 190-200 vessels weekly continue circumnavigating Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead. Industry observers note the upward trend remains modest, with widespread return to the Suez unlikely despite improved conditions.