Recently, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk have made significant progress in resuming operations on the Red Sea route. Since late July, MSC has dispatched a total of seven large container vessels through the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, all of which have adopted the "dark transit" method by switching off their AIS systems to mitigate security risks. Meanwhile, Maersk has redirected approximately 30% of its capacity that was previously routed around the Cape of Good Hope back to the Red Sea corridor, and industry observers widely expect the full resumption of services to occur earlier than previously forecast.

According to a report by Linerlytica, the list of recent MSC vessels and their transit dates is as follows:

- MSC Amelia (23,782 TEU), on the China-Mediterranean Tiger service, transited the Suez Canal on July 31 and passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 3;

- MSC Vega (13,102 TEU), on the China-Mediterranean Dragon service, transited the Suez Canal on July 31 and passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 3;

- MSC Giulia (9,408 TEU), on a China-Mediterranean repositioning voyage, transited the Suez Canal on July 21, called at King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia, and then passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 4;

- MSC Irina (24,346 TEU), on the China-Mediterranean Jade service, transited the Suez Canal on August 4 and passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 8;

- MSC Annabella (15,413 TEU), on the China-North Europe Britannia service, transited the Suez Canal on August 4, called at King Abdullah Port, and then passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 11;

- MSC Oliver (19,224 TEU), on the China-Mediterranean Tiger service, transited the Suez Canal on August 10 and passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 13;

- MSC Napoli (15,576 TEU), on the China-North Europe Lion service, transited the Suez Canal on August 12 and passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on August 16.

Although MSC has not yet formally announced a full return to the Suez Canal, its eastbound services have already resumed on a limited basis. Previously, CMA CGM had already taken the lead in achieving two-way Red Sea transits on its Asia-Europe routes, while Maersk has further adjusted several services, including MECL, ME11, and AE19. Maersk's CEO, Vincent Clerc, publicly stated that "the conditions for a full return to the Red Sea have been met." Cosco Shipping has likewise either resumed or is planning to resume Red Sea transits.

Industry analyst Linerlytica noted that port congestion caused by adverse weather conditions has prompted major trunk route operators to "selectively overlook" safety risks for the time being. As the leading players progressively return, the Cape of Good Hope alternative will gradually give way to the faster Red Sea corridor, with Asia-to-Europe voyage times expected to shorten by 7 to 14 days per one-way trip. A full return to Red Sea transits is now anticipated to occur earlier than previously expected.