Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are bringing four additional Asia–Europe services back through the Red Sea, Bab El Mandeb and Suez Canal corridor, as congestion continues to build at ports in both Asia and Europe.
The two carriers announced that the AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 services, serving destinations across Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, will resume transits through the Suez Canal instead of continuing to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
The decision comes as carriers seek to improve transit efficiency for customers amid persistent port congestion.
“By transitioning the AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 services to the trans-Suez corridor instead of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, we will offer more efficient transit times for customers,” Maersk said in a customer advisory.
The four services add to the AE15 and AE19, which had already returned to the Red Sea and Suez Canal route.
The AE15 recently made its maiden call at DP World’s Jeddah South Container Terminal, with the 19,000-TEU Morten Maersk becoming the first vessel on the service to make the call.
Security remains a key condition
The decision to restore the additional services comes despite continued uncertainty over security in the region.
Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk said they would continue monitoring developments closely, particularly following military advances by the Iran-backed Houthi Movement westwards over the past week, reaching the shoreline of the Bab El Mandeb Strait.
While the return to the Suez route is intended to improve sailing efficiency and reduce transit times, Maersk stressed that the move is not permanent if the regional security situation deteriorates.
“Any alteration to services within the Gemini Cooperation will remain dependent on the ongoing stability in the Red Sea area and the absence of any escalation in conflicts in the region,” Maersk added.
The latest changes therefore mark another significant step in Gemini’s gradual return to the Suez corridor, but the carriers are keeping the option of adjusting their networks should security conditions deteriorate.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have been contacted for comment.
