Suez Canal Authority says stability returning to Red Sea

CAIRO (Reuters) - Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie has told shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk there are signs of stability returning to the Red Sea, and urged the company to take that into account when planning sea routes, according to a statement from the SCA.

The statement said Rabie made the comments at a meeting with the CEO of the Danish container shipping group and other senior executives, but did not say when the meeting took place.

"We seek to take into account the positive indicators observed in the Red Sea region when planning maritime schedules in the coming period," Rabie was quoted as saying.

Several major global shipping companies have suspended Red Sea voyages and rerouted vessels around southern Africa to avoid potential attacks from Yemen’s Houthis.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in December the disruption had cost Egypt around $7 billion in revenues from the Suez Canal in 2024.

Last week, Maersk said it would continue to divert vessels away from the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea and towards the southern tip of Africa despite the Houthis announcing they would curb their attacks on ships.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.

(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed. Writing by Jana Choukeir. Editing by Mark Potter)