Maersk-Denver

Maersk has completed its second Red Sea transit in nearly two years, signaling a cautious return to one of the world’s most important shipping corridors after a two-year break. The 'Maersk Denver', operating on voyage 552W of the company’s MECL service, successfully navigated the strait enroute from Nhava Sheva on Jan 11-12, 2026. The transit followed the passage of the Singapore-flagged 'Maersk Sebarok' on Dec 18-19, 2025, which marked the first Maersk container ship to return to the route in nearly two years.

The Spanish government confirmed on Nov 20 that it will not allow the 'Maersk Denver' and another ship to dock in Spanish ports. The Danish company Maersk had announced that its container ship was prevented from entering the port of Algeciras. The company claimed that the cargo did not contain weapons or military ammunition. The company said in an official statement: “The goods to be transported through the port do not contain weapons or military ammunition.” This decision comes in the context of the Spanish government's hard-line approach to dealing with weapons destined for Israel since the recognition of the State of Palestine last May. Spain has halted arms sales to Israel and prevented ships carrying military cargo from docking in its ports. According to Maersk, the cargo was not physically inspected and the ship's crew was forced to divert to the port of Tangier. Maersk expressed its surprise at the decision, stating that it had contacted the Spanish authorities to understand the reasons for denying entry to the ship: “We understand that Spain has changed its criteria on a discretionary basis, and now refuses to receive ships to or from Israel if they are carrying any military-related cargo, even if the cargo is legal.”

The 'Maersk Denver' was denied entry to the port of Algeciras, the Danish shipping company Maersk said on Nov 9, 2024, denying that its cargo contained weapons for Israel. On Nov 12, the deputy of the Spanish coalition, Sumar Enrique Santiago, filed a complaint to prevent the docking of two ships at the port of Algeciras, considering that an authorization went against the government’s agreement. The Spanish government had explained two days earlier that the ship, as well as another also belonging to Maersk and due to dock later in the month,, would not call in Spain, without giving further details. “In order to clarify future operations, we have consulted with the Spanish authorities to understand why entry has been refused for a cargo that is no different from previous cargoes,” Maersk said, noting that the cargo had not been inspected. The Maersk Denver was diverted to Tangier, en route to Oman.