Xeneta: End of Houthi attacks and largescale return to Red Sea shipping would be seismic for global container shipping

The end of Houthi attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea would have a seismic impact for global container shipping but an immediate largescale return to the region will require a series of further assurances, according to Xeneta. 

Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, said: “Details are sketchy and you cannot base the safety of crews, ships and cargo on the word of Houthi militia. Carriers need far more assurance than that and, perhaps more importantly, so do insurance companies. 

“Different carriers have different tolerances to risk and we have seen some intermittently testing the water, with the CMA CGM Zheng He and CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin making voyages through the region in November, but generally the number of container ships transiting the Suez Canal has been trending downwards during 2025.”