The Suez Canal Authority and the Danish shipping concern Maersk have signed a strategic partnership agreement. As container-news.com notes, the company will resume transportation through the canal in December.
“This move returns the canal to its role as the shortest, fastest and safest route connecting east to west. It supports the long-term functioning of global supply chains, opening up new opportunities for the industry,” said the head of the canal authority, Admiral Osama Rabie.
Shipping through the Red Sea was virtually stopped after Yemen’s Houthis announced they were joining Hamas’ war against Israel and began attacking ships heading to Eilat or through the Suez Canal. They recently reported that the attacks had stopped.
For two years, shipping companies have been forced to use a longer and more expensive route around Africa. The Houthis’ actions led to the cessation of operations at the Eilat port and deprived Egypt of its main source of foreign currency – canal fees.