Hapag-Lloyd CEO says return to Suez route not yet in sight but looking closely

FRANKFURT : German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd opens new tab on Thursday said it is noting calmer conditions in the Suez Canal region after a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict but will only reopen its sailings through the waterway once it is fully safe.
“For the moment, I don’t see us returning very soon,” Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said in a call with analysts after presenting 9-month financial results, adding his company was observing and talking to shipping partners about the situation.

Vessel owners sail costly alternative routes around Africa because Yemen-based Houthi militants have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war in Gaza since November 2023.