The number of containership transits via the Red Sea has dropped by 70% since November 2023 when the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping started. The average number of monthly transits dropped from 606 in the first 11 months of 2023 to just 174 in 2024. When measured by total TEU capacity, the drop is even more severe at 91% as the average monthly capacity of containerships on the Red Sea has fallen from 5.9m teu last year to just 544,000 teu in 2024. Several carriers have retained their
Sidra Line has added a new East Med Red Sea (EMR) service calling at Mersin, Iskenderun, Jeddah, Port Sudan, Beirut, Lattakia, Mersin from 9 December 2024 with the 158 teu general cargo ship INFORMED. The service turns in 23 days on an irregular rolling schedule.
SeaLead has launched a new Djibouti-Red Sea-Asia Express (DRAX) service connecting Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Cai Mep, Port Klang, Colombo, Djibouti, Cai Mep, Shanghai from 7 November 2024. The DRAX service will turn in 7 weeks and will deploy initially 3 ships of 3,400-4,600 teu starting with the 3,451 teu LIDIA at Shanghai on 7 November 2024 followed by the 4,636 teu ZHONG GU XI AN and ZHONG GU YIN CHUAN that will join on 23 November abd 24 November respectively. Port rotation of the new DRAX
CMA CGM has continued to send its Asia-Med ships on the Red Sea/Suez route for its services calling at Lebanon. The 16,022 teu CMA CGM JULES VERNE passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait on a northbound transit on 23 October 2024 without incident. The ship will make a stop at Jeddah and Beirut before resuming its regular Mediterranean Club Express (MEX) stops at Malta, Valencia, Barcelona and Fos before returning to Beirut for a second off-schedule call on 20 November. The ship is scheduled to make anot
Asyad Line and Folk Maritime have launched a new India-Red Sea Service (IRS) with each partner to contribute one ship each on the service from 10 September 2024. Asyad Line's 3,534 teu WADI DUKA will connect Sokhna, Jeddah, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Salalah, Sokhna on a 30-35 day rotation, while Folk Maritime's 1,868 teu FOLK JEDDAH will connect Jeddah, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Jeddah on a 20-25 day rotation.
The 16,022 teu CMA CGM JULES VERNE has made an eastbound Suez Canal passage on 13 August 2024 and after a stop at Jeddah, the ship passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait on 19 August without any incident. It marks the largest containership to return to the Suez/Red Sea route since February this year, with all the other main carriers still avoiding the passage to avoid attacks on vessels by Houthi militants in Yemen. The CMA CGM JULES VERNE is deployed on the Mediterranean Club Express (MEX) using 15 s
SeaLead will launch a new Far East-India-Djibouti (FID) service calling at Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Port Klang, Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Djibouti, Colombo, Shanghai from 5 September 2024. The FID service will turn in around 6 weeks, with 2 ships currently scheduled to join the service in September - the 4,636 teu ZHONG GU CHENG DU and ZHONG GU NAN CHANG.
China United Lines (CUL) has launched a Red Sea 1 (RS1) service connecting Qingdao, Shanghai, Nansha, Jeddah through slots on the Far East-Mediterraean Service (FEM1) operated by CStar Line and Uniglobal Shipping (UGL). The FEM1 service offers an extended service from China to Turkey via the Red Sea and Suez Canal calling at Qingdao, Shanghai, Nansha, Jeddah, Ambarli, Izmit, Jeddah, Port Klang, Qingdao. It mirrors a similar Asia-East Mediterranean (AEM) service that CUL had operated irregularl
SeaLead has launched a new Red Sea Gulf (RSG) service connecting Jebel Ali, Djibouti, Jeddah, Jebel Ali from 15 July 2024. The RSG service will operate on an irreglar frequency and deploys 2 heavy lift general cargo ships of 1,011 teu, the DRAGONBALL and SAPODILLA that were operating previously in the tramp trades.
CStar Line has launched a new Middle East Red Sea Service 1 (MER1) connecting Jebel Ali, Djibouti, Jeddah, Djibouti, Jebel Ali from 27 July 2024. The MER1 turns in 17 to 21 days and will deploy 2 ships of 1,638 teu (CSTAR FEVRONIYA and CSTAR PETER) on an irregular rolling schedule with a frequency of around 10 to 11 days.