Something is happening in European logistics right now: one of the world’s biggest container carriers, MSC, is no longer satisfied with just moving goods across oceans — now it wants to own more of the land where those journeys begin and end. That ambition just hit a regulatory wall. This week, news broke that the European Commission is preparing a deeper investigation into MSC’s joint bid with BlackRock to acquire one of Hutchison Ports’ major terminals in Barcelona.

There’s a certain shift in tone circulating through the industry right now—subtle, but noticeable to anyone watching vessel traffic patterns and freight indices. Maersk has confirmed that it plans to resume operations through the Red Sea and Suez Canal “as soon as conditions allow,” following nearly two years of rerouting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope due to maritime security risks linked to Houthi activity in the Bab-al-Mandab strait. The language remains cautious, but the intent is clear: the world’s second-largest container carrier is preparing for a phased return to one of global shipping’s most critical corridors.