Denmark’s Maersk said on Friday it will temporarily reroute some of its sailings around the Cape of Good Hope, and thus away from the Suez Canal, after experiencing unforeseen constraints in the Red Sea region.

The container shipping group last month announced a gradual return of some services to the Suez route, seen as a key step towards ending two years of global trade disruption caused by attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemeni Houthi rebels.

But Maersk on Friday said it was experiencing unforeseen constraints arising from the wider operating environment in the Red Sea region.

“After conversations with our security partners, it is clear that these constraints are making it challenging to avoid delays in regard to passage through the area,” Maersk said in a statement.

The company did not elaborate on what had caused the constraints.
Maersk declined to provide further comment.