Drewry Shipping Consultants’ newly launched Red Sea diversion tracker shows that the number of containerships sailing via the Suez Canal increased to 26 in the week ended January 11 – up from 10 transits the week prior.
The analyst said CMA CGM/APL and MSC sent five 8,000 teu+ containerships via the Suez Canal in the second week of 2026, up from two vessels of this size a weekearlier
Smaller, niche carriers continue to send relatively smaller ships via the Suez Canal. In the last week of 2025 (week 52), Maersk had sent a 6,478 teu containership operating on the US-Middle East route via the Canal. The number of Suez transits remains considerably below the normal level of roughly 55 per week Northbound and 25 per week Southbound prior to the Red Sea crisis that started in late 2023.
The number of voyages via the Cape of Good Hope also jumped in the second week of 2026 to 175, up from 72 in the previous week.
“The return to the Suez Canal route is one of this year’s key influencing factors for capacity, freight rates, transit times and fuel consumption, and we believe our new Red Sea diversion tracker will help inform thousands of stakeholders in shipping,” said Philip Damas, managing director of Drewry.
Drewry expects larger carriers to remain cautious, increasing transits via Suez gradually; watching the insurance market, the early movers with whom they compete and the effect of ending diversions on freight rates. In Drewry’s view, a gradual return may minimise the bunching of ships arriving in Europe and avoid severe congestion.
