Two of Maersk’s Largest Containerships Transit Suez Canal
Two of Maersk’s largest containerships made the transit together on Saturday, August 22, through the Suez Canal. It is part of the carrier’s continuing efforts to restore vessels to the Suez Canal – Red Sea corridor and increase the efficiency of operations.
The Suez Canal Authority highlighted the transits as it continues efforts to rebuild operations. It honored the Bangkon Maersk, one of the carrier’s newest large ships, with a special plaque ceremony marking the first transit through the Suez Canal.
At the head of Saturday's convoy coming from the north was the 2015-built Mathilde Maersk (214,121 dwt). The ship is part of the final series of the Triple E class, Maersk’s largest capacity vessels. She has a rated capacity of 19,076 TEU and was bound for Colombo on her way to the Far East.
Mathilde Maersk was at the head of Saturday's convoy from the north (SCA)
Following in the convoy, and making her first transit, was the 2015-built Bangkok Maersk (181,648 dwt). She is part of the dual-fuel class, capable of operating on methanol, with a capacity of 17,480 TEU. She was coming from Italy and bound for Singapore.
Two weeks ago, Maersk reported, in conjunction with Hapag-Lloyd, that the decision had been made to shift more routes, including some of the Gemini Cooperation, back to the Suez and Red Sea corridor. CEO Vincent Clerc has said that the conditions supported the transfer of more vessels back to their routes but that the company would continue to monitor conditions. Analysts have said Maersk could have all of its routes restored to the Suez – Red Sea corridor by the end of the year.
The canal authority highlights the advantages for vessels returned to their normal routes. For the Maersk ships, they said it would reduce transit times by up to 14 days versus navigating around South America. On Saturday, the Suez Canal Authority said that a total of 57 vessels made the transit, representing a total of 2.8 million net tons.
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Reports last week said that MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company had quietly also sent its first vessels back through the Suez Canal on their way to Asia. Seven vessels were reported to have made the transit, but they were dark, not transmitting positions.
The Suez Canal Authority has highlighted the growth of traffic from CMA CGM. Since the start of this year, the French group is reported to have had 199 vessels transit the canal, with a total net tonnage of 25.2 million tons. That compares with 212 vessels from the CMA CGM that transited the canal for the whole of 2025, with a total net tonnage of 18.8 million tons.