Maersk Restores MECL Service Through Suez Canal and Red Sea
Shipping Arabia, July 17, 2026 – Maersk is restoring its MECL service to the Suez Canal and Red Sea route, shortening transit times between India, the Middle East and the U.S. East Coast as the carrier continues a gradual return to the corridor.
The move follows the successful transit of the Majestic Maersk and earlier structural changes to the AE15 service, according to the company.
The revised routing is expected to reduce westbound transit times by an average of seven days and eastbound voyages by about 14 days compared with the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.
The first westbound sailing through the Red Sea will be Maersk Denver voyage 627W, while Maersk Chicago voyage 624E will operate the first eastbound sailing under the restored routing.
Maersk will also add a new eastbound call at Jeddah beginning in August, expanding the service’s connectivity across the Red Sea and Middle East.
The revised eastbound rotation will call at Charleston, Savannah, Houston, Norfolk, Newark, Tangier, Jeddah, Salalah, Mundra, Pipavav and Nhava Sheva.
The MECL service connects major U.S. East Coast gateways with North Africa, the Red Sea, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.
Maersk said it would continue to monitor security conditions across the Middle East and maintain contingency plans allowing vessels to return to the Cape of Good Hope route should operating conditions require another adjustment.
The restoration represents another step in the carrier’s cautious return to Suez Canal transits, while retaining operational flexibility in response to security developments affecting the Red Sea.
Source: Almal News
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