Hapag-Lloyd's chief executive, who is the fifth-largest container company in the world, said that there was no set date for the return of shipping through the Suez Canal.

In an online chat with customers, CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said that no date has been set for a return to normal operations.

Since November 2023, vessel owners have taken expensive routes around Africa because Houthi militants based in Yemen have attacked vessels in Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in response to Israel's conflict in Gaza. This conflict has now calmed. Vera Eckert, Joe Bavier and Vera Eckert contributed to this report.

(source: Reuters)