Red Sea and Suez routing: verify the service, not a general headline
Carrier routing changes by service and sailing. Confirm the booked route, transit estimate and contingency with the carrier before making delivery commitments.
There is no single routing answer for all container services. On 9 July 2026, Maersk announced a return of its MECL service to the trans-Suez route and described contingency plans to revert if security conditions changed. That dated announcement is not confirmation of every subsequent sailing or another carrier’s service.
Before booking, ask for the service name, expected routing, scheduled departures and transit estimate. Recheck the carrier’s latest advisory close to sailing and retain the booking-specific update. Security, port calls and network changes can alter the plan.
Direct China–India shipments do not ordinarily require Suez transit, but network disruption elsewhere can still affect equipment and schedules. For a fixed delivery date, compare the full origin-to-door plan and leave contingency for connections, clearance and inland movement. No general percentage for emissions, traffic recovery or time saved should be applied to your shipment without a matching source and methodology.
Questions we are getting
Are all services using Suez again?
No universal answer can be inferred from one carrier advisory. Verify the current route for the booked service and sailing.
What should I ask before relying on a transit estimate?
The service, intended route, connections, latest advisory and contingency if routing changes, plus the clearance and inland delivery plan.
Primary reference
Reviewed 2 October 2026. Historical references are labelled; confirm subsequent amendments before acting.