COSCO returns to Suez Canal as OOCL Portugal makes southbound transit

COSCO Shipping Lines has made its first southbound transit through the Suez Canal since the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb tensions disrupted shipping patterns, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

The milestone came with the transit of the OOCL Portugal on 16 September. The vessel was sailing from Belgium to China as part of the north convoy, the SCA said.

OOCL Portugal returns to Suez route

OOCL Portugal is deployed on the NEU2 service operated by the Ocean Alliance, connecting major ports in the Far East and Northwest Europe.

The vessel has a capacity of 24,188 TEUs and measures approximately 400 metres in length and 61.3 metres in width, according to OOCL vessel data.

The SCA described the transit as significant because it represents COSCO Shipping Lines’ first southbound passage through the Canal since tensions in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb affected shipping through the region.

Container ship tonnage rises 54%

The transit comes as container ship traffic through the Suez Canal shows signs of recovery.

Container ship net tonnage reached approximately 72.1 million tonnes between January and August 2026. This represents an increase of 54.2% from 46.7 million tonnes during the same period last year, according to SCA figures.

The authority also said services operated by CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO have returned to the Canal on Europe-Asia trades.

On 16 September alone, 39 vessels transited the Suez Canal, representing total net tonnage of approximately 2.3 million tonnes.

The latest transit adds to signs of a gradual return of container shipping activity through the Suez route following the disruption that pushed many Asia-Europe services around the Cape of Good Hope.

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