COPENHAGEN, July 13 (Reuters) – Danish shipping group Maersk said on Monday it will resume sailing through the Red Sea for another one of its services, part of the group’s gradual return to using the Suez Canal shortcut between Asia and Europe.
The company said in a statement it would resume the sailings for its WAF6 service, which is solely operated by Maersk and which connects the Middle East, Mediterranean and West Africa.
“This change marks another step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor,” Maersk said.
Most shipping companies abandoned the Asia-Europe trade corridor through the Suez Canal after attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, forcing vessels to take the much longer route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
Some carriers have recently begun a gradual return to the corridor, including Maersk which announced on Thursday that it would resume its Middle East-to-U.S. East Coast service through the Suez Canal.
(Reporting by Louise Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik)