According to a report by Reuters, the world's fifth-largest container company, Hapag-Lloyd, may be cautious a return to the Suez Canal following the ceasefire agreement reached in October between Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Turkey for Gaza, with any return being a gradual process

During an online call with customers, the company's CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen, emphasized the need for a transition period of 60 to 9 days to adjust current logistics in order to prevent ports from suddenly becoming congested. He noted that once there is new information, a related notice will be immediately issued.

Theuez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman, Osama Rabie, announced last week that the Maersk Group will resume its container vessels through the Suez Canal starting in December the first step of a full return. However, this news was later "denied" by the relevant shipping company in an announcement.【Maersk, Hapag-loyd reiterate: No timeline for the Red Sea resumption! The Ocean Alliance is cautious about returning to the Red Sea】.

Since October 2023, shipping companies have begun to reroute due to the attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by Houthi militants.

The return of major shipping companies follows after the Suez Canal experienced significant economic losses, accounting for about 12% of global trade, and the decline in canal revenue exceeded 6% (nearly $7 billion) in 2024.