CONTAINERSHIP transits through the Bab el Mandeb Strait reached their highest monthly level last month since the Houthi attacks began in late 2023, as more carriers switch back to the Red Sea route from the longer Cape of Good Hope diversion.
Data from the Maritime Intelligence Unit at Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows 314 boxship crossings of the strait — the southern gateway to the Red Sea and Suez Canal — in September, up 14.6% from August and 64.4% higher than the same month last year.
Significantly, the increase was led by larger vessels. Ships of 7,000 teu and above recorded 124 movements in September, accounting for 62.5% of the month-on-month growth.
The shift towards larger ships was even more pronounced year on year. Compared with the same period of 2025, transits by vessels of at least 7,000 teu increased by 107.
The Red Sea route via the Bab el Mandeb Strait and Suez was once the most vital artery for long-haul trade between Asia and Europe/Mediterranean markets. But since the Houthi strikes began, the vast majority of containerships on this route have diverted to the longer Cape of Good Hope passage.
The week of September 21-27 stood out, with 85 transits marking the highest single-week count in five weeks. This included 34 sailings by vessels of at least 7,000 teu — the strongest large-vessel reading over the period — and another 12 by ships of 4,000-6,999 teu.
That broadly tallies with Linerlytica’s latest assessment that the same week was the busiest for containership traffic through the canal since 2024, with 30 ships of more than 4,000 teu passing through.
Dark transits — vessels sailing with their Automatic Identification System transponders switched off — accounted for 139 passages in September, or 44.3% of the total. Dark traffic was heavily weighted towards larger ships: 108 passages, or 77.7%, involved vessels of at least 7,000 teu.
With most of these dark sailings conducted by ships operated by major container lines, the large-vessel concentration provides a further indication that leading carriers are accelerating their return to Red Sea routings.
The provisional count for the week of September 28 to October 4 stood at 67 transits. However, this figure is expected to be revised upward as dark voyage details can arrive with a lag.
ONE joins the shift, in both directions
The Premier Alliance, comprising Ocean Network Express, HMM and Yang Ming, has become the latest grouping to announce a return to Red Sea routing.
Alphaliner said the alliance will reroute two Asia-North Europe services, both of which will transit the Red Sea in both directions, whereas many Asia-Europe loops have so far resumed Suez transits for eastbound voyages only.
The first is ONE’s Southeast Asia-North Europe “FE1” loop. The 8,110 teu One Continuity (IMO: 9388352) will be the first vessel to follow the new routing, with a westbound Suez transit planned for November 9. The service, deployed with 8,110-9,040 teu ships, will see its round-trip time cut by two weeks to 11.
The second is the Indian Subcontinent-North Europe “IOX” service. Starting with the voyage of the 7,164 teu One Reliability (IMO: 9952737), the round trip will shrink to 10 weeks from 13, and the first westbound Suez passage is planned for November 17. Seven ships of 6,350-7,164 teu have been nominated so far.
The announcement follows the decision last month by the Gemini Cooperation of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to reroute three more Asia-Europe services: the AE12, deployed with 14 ships of 14,100-16,600 teu; the AE11, with 13 ships of 15,000-17,800 teu; and the AE5, with 14 ships of 15,500-20,500 teu.
Meanwhile, Cosco Shipping — a member of the Ocean Alliance — having scheduled nine eastbound voyages via Suez since mid-September, made its first westbound Suez transit in more than two years on October 4 with the 24,188 teu OOCL Spain (IMO: 9908126) on its Asia-North Europe service, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data.
Linerlytica noted that ONE is thereby the latest carrier to make the switch, joining CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and Cosco. By its count, only Evergreen, Yang Ming and HMM have yet to send their own ships back to the Red Sea.
Two million teu back on the Suez route
The cumulative shift is now substantial. Linerlytica estimates that more than 140 containerships with a combined capacity of over 2m teu have returned to the Suez route since May.
Maritime Strategies International, in a report dated October 1, estimates that roughly 35% of Asia-Europe sailings now use the Red Sea, with some variation between headhaul and backhaul legs.
The speed of the return is already affecting the market balance.
Linerlytica’s market barometer has turned negative for the first time since January 2026, as teu-mile growth slipped below supply growth on the back of fewer Cape of Good Hope diversions and Golden Week blank sailings in China.
Newbuilding deliveries also picked up, with almost 200,000 teu delivered in September and no ships deleted from the fleet.
