According to Lloyd’s List, the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has resumed transits through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after an 18-month hiatus. The 6,700 TEU vessel MSC Antonia recently completed a passage through the strait, as confirmed by vessel tracking data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence platform, Seasearcher.

The MSC Antonia had previously run aground near Saudi Arabia in May 2024, losing 46 containers and damaging 305 others. A report from Lloyd’s List Intelligence at the time suggested the vessel may have been affected by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference, which potentially caused it to stray off course near Eliza Shoals, west of Jeddah. Since the grounding, its AIS data has shown signs of ongoing GNSS disruptions.

Satellite imagery reviewed by Lloyd’s List on June 16 showed a container ship matching the size and dimensions of the MSC Antonia docked in Jeddah, consistent with AIS records. The vessel left Jeddah around June 19, though its AIS signal had intermittent gaps between June 20–21 and again from June 21–26. The MSC Antonia reappeared in the Indian Ocean, suggesting it transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during one of these transmission gaps.

The vessel is now en route through the Singapore Strait, with its destination listed as Shanghai, China. Based on Lloyd’s List Intelligence tracking data, this marks the first recorded MSC-operated ship to transit the Bab el-Mandeb since December 2023.

The most likely scenarios are that MSC Antonia is either heading to Shanghai for minor repairs or repositioning while empty. There is no fixed schedule for the vessel on MSC’s website. Its current speed of approximately 18 knots suggests the earlier grounding did not result in major structural damage.