Maersk began diverting vessels away from the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea around the Cape of Good Hope in January 2024 after Yemen’s Houthi militants attacked ships in the area in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Maersk said in a statement on Friday that one of its vessels, Maersk Sebarok, had made the transit on Thursday and Friday.

“Whilst this is a significant step forward, it does not mean that we are at a point where we are considering a wider East-West network change back to the trans-Suez corridor,” it said.

It, however, said that it was considering continuing a “stepwise approach” towards resuming passage. There are currently no additional planned sailings, it added.