Asia-Europe Trade

Shipping Arabia, October 25, 2026 – Maersk has announced a major expansion of its Gemini Cooperation network with Hapag-Lloyd, introducing the new AE18 service and revising five existing services across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The changes follow the previously announced rerouting of Asia-Mediterranean services through the Suez Canal.

The Maersk Gemini network expansion will reshape connections serving Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Sri Lanka and the Adriatic. The adjustments cover six services: AE18, AE2, AE11, AE19, ME2 and AE12, with implementation scheduled between November 2026 and January 2027.

The revised network will strengthen coverage at major Mediterranean hubs, introduce new port connections and reorganize existing services. It will also support additional shipping connections from Asia to West Africa and the east coast of Latin America.

Maersk Launches AE18 to Strengthen Western Mediterranean Coverage

The new AE18 service will operate alongside AE19, consolidating Gemini’s existing Western Mediterranean hub coverage. It will replace connections to Tangier and Algeciras previously provided by AE2, AE11 and AE12, while introducing a direct connection from Xiamen, China.

The service will connect Shanghai and Xiamen with Tanjung Pelepas, Algeciras and Tangier before returning through Algeciras and Xiamen.

The full AE18 rotation will be:

Shanghai – Xiamen – Tanjung Pelepas – Algeciras – Tangier – Algeciras – Xiamen.

Maersk Edirne, operating voyage 647W, will inaugurate the new service with a scheduled departure from Shanghai on November 22, 2026.

The introduction of AE18 forms a central part of the network restructuring, allowing Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to reorganize their existing Mediterranean coverage while maintaining connections through the Gemini network.

AE2, AE11 and AE19 Introduce New Port Connections

Alongside the introduction of AE18, Maersk will revise three established Asia-Europe services, with the first changes taking effect in mid-November.

AE2: Additional Rotterdam Connection

The AE2 service will replace its westbound Tangier call with Rotterdam, providing an additional connection from Ningbo and Shanghai to the Dutch port.

Moscow Maersk, operating voyage 646W, will be the first vessel affected by the revised rotation. Its departure from Ningbo is scheduled for November 15, 2026.

AE11: Salalah and Port Said Added to Westbound Coverage

The AE11 service will introduce a westbound call at Salalah, Oman, while replacing its westbound Tangier call with Port Said, Egypt.

The changes will establish additional shipping connections to and from Salalah while strengthening the service’s coverage through Port Said.

Estelle Maersk, voyage 647W, will operate the first affected sailing, departing Shanghai on November 17, 2026.

AE19: Nansha Replaces Shanghai as Damietta Joins the Rotation

The AE19 service will replace its Shanghai call with Nansha, introducing new coverage between the Chinese port and Europe.

In addition, Maersk will add Damietta, Egypt, to the service rotation, expanding the network’s Eastern Mediterranean connections.

The revised arrangements will begin with Ane Maersk, voyage 647W, scheduled to depart Xingang on November 18, 2026.

Together, these adjustments will redistribute existing port coverage across the Gemini network while introducing alternative connections through Rotterdam, Salalah, Port Said and Damietta.

ME2 Adds Jeddah to Connect Northern Europe With Saudi Arabia

Another significant element of the Maersk Gemini network expansion is the addition of Jeddah Islamic Port to the eastbound rotation of the ME2 service.

The change will establish a direct shipping connection between Northern Europe and Saudi Arabia, serving cargo moving from Rotterdam, London Gateway and Hamburg to Jeddah.

The revised ME2 rotation will be:

Ennore – Colombo – Suez Canal – Algeciras – Rotterdam – London Gateway – Hamburg – Tangier – Suez Canal – Jeddah – Colombo.

Maersk Tukang, operating voyage 649E, will be the first vessel affected by the revised service. Its scheduled arrival at Jeddah is December 20, 2026.

The inclusion of Jeddah expands the service’s eastbound coverage and provides an additional direct connection to Saudi Arabia from three major Northern European ports.

AE12 Restores Colombo Connection to Adriatic Ports Through East Port Said

Maersk will also transfer its Colombo call from AE15 to AE12, establishing a shipping connection between Sri Lanka and the Adriatic ports of Koper and Rijeka.

The revised AE12 service will operate through the Suez Canal and East Port Said, connecting Asian origins with the Adriatic before continuing eastbound toward Colombo and Singapore.

The full revised AE12 rotation will be:

Ningbo – Shanghai – Tanjung Pelepas – Suez Canal – Port Said East – Koper – Rijeka – Port Said East – Suez Canal – Colombo – Singapore.

Alva Maersk, voyage 652E, will be the first vessel to operate the revised rotation. The ship is expected to arrive at Colombo on January 12, 2027.

The transfer of Colombo to AE12 will create a connection between Sri Lanka and the Adriatic while providing onward shipping options from Colombo to destinations in southern India and Bangladesh.

The revised rotation will also reinforce the role of East Port Said in connecting Asian cargo flows with Mediterranean and Adriatic destinations through the Suez Canal.

Phased Implementation Across the Gemini Network

The network changes will take effect through a series of scheduled vessel departures and arrivals.

The first adjustments will begin with AE2 on November 15, followed by AE11 on November 17 and AE19 on November 18. The new AE18 service will launch on November 22, completing the initial phase of the Western Mediterranean network restructuring.

The changes will then extend to ME2, with the first affected Jeddah arrival scheduled for December 20, 2026. Finally, the revised AE12 rotation will take effect with the first affected Colombo arrival on January 12, 2027.

The wider network configuration will also support connections from Asia to West Africa and the east coast of Latin America.

Together, the six service adjustments represent a substantial reorganization of Gemini’s Asia-Europe and Middle East network following the rerouting of Asia-Mediterranean services through the Suez Canal.

Source: Al Mal News

Shipping Arabia, October 4, 2026 – The Premier Alliance Suez Canal return is set to begin this month as ONE, HMM and Yang Ming restore their FE1 service between Southeast Asia and Northern Europe via the canal, adding further momentum to the container shipping sector’s gradual shift away from Cape of Good Hope diversions.

According to consultancy Linerlytica, the move will mark Premier Alliance’s first departure from the Cape routing it adopted in January. The first sailing is expected to be operated by the 8,110-TEU ONE Continuity, which is scheduled to depart Laem Chabang on October 17.

Premier Alliance had remained one of the more prominent holdouts from the Suez route while rival carriers gradually rebuilt services through the Red Sea. Its planned return now adds to the cumulative shift in container capacity back toward the canal.

Premier Alliance Suez Canal Return Follows Other Service Changes

The Gemini partners, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, are also increasing their use of the route. Hapag-Lloyd confirmed that its SE1 service will route the Umm Qarn toward Suez from Tanjung Pelepas on October 27.

That change follows earlier route adjustments involving the NE4, SE2 and IEX services, according to the report.

The scale of the broader return is becoming increasingly significant. Maritime Strategies International estimates that around 35% of Asia-Europe sailings are currently using the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Linerlytica calculates that more than 140 containerships representing over 2 million TEU of capacity have returned to Suez Canal routes since May.

Security Remains Main Constraint on Faster Normalization

Despite the accelerating return, security conditions remain the principal obstacle to a faster normalization of Red Sea shipping, according to Linerlytica.

Demand for naval escorts through the southern Red Sea has risen to the point that the European Union’s Aspides mission has acknowledged that the available warships are insufficient to meet all escort requests.

This security constraint continues to affect the pace at which carriers can restore services through the region, even as a growing share of Asia-Europe sailings returns to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Suez Return Raises Container Capacity Concerns

The gradual restoration of Suez routings is also increasing attention on the amount of vessel capacity that could return to the market.

Cape of Good Hope diversions have helped absorb a substantial amount of containership capacity. Linerlytica said the containership orderbook has reached a record 15.6 million TEU, equivalent to more than 45% of the current fleet.

As more services return to the shorter Suez routing, some of the effective capacity absorbed by longer voyages could be released back into the market.

Freight markets are already showing early signs of pressure. Freightos reported that Asia-Northern Europe spot rates fell 9% in its latest weekly assessment to $3,376 per FEU.

Asia-Mediterranean spot rates declined 7% to $3,620 per FEU. Part of the weakness was attributed to the gradual resumption of Red Sea shipping, which is restoring effective vessel capacity.

MSI Flags Earnings Impact as Voyages Shorten

Maritime Strategies International has also warned that a resumption of Suez Canal transits could weigh on earnings because shorter routings reduce vessel demand.

However, its latest containership outlook continues to indicate strong charter markets through the first half of 2027, particularly for feeder and midsize vessels.

Congestion is currently absorbing part of the potential capacity surplus. Linerlytica estimates that 3.76 million TEU, equivalent to 10.9% of the global fleet, is currently affected by congestion.

Sea-Intelligence places the proportion at more than 8% and estimates that the disruption could take seven to 10 months to fully unwind.

The Premier Alliance Suez Canal return, alongside other service restorations, therefore comes as the container shipping market faces a combination of easing route diversions, significant new vessel capacity and persistent congestion.

Source: Al Mal News

Shipping Arabia, September 21, 2026 – Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are returning four additional Gemini Cooperation services to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, marking another significant step in the gradual restoration of Asia-Europe container shipping through the shorter trans-Suez corridor.

The carriers announced that the AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 services — known respectively as NE4, SE2, SE1 and IEX in Hapag-Lloyd’s network — will shift from routing around the Cape of Good Hope to the Suez Canal following a further assessment of security conditions in the Red Sea.

The changes expand the number of Gemini services returning to Suez following earlier resumptions. Maersk said the four services will join AE15 and AE19, which are already operating through the canal.

The first westbound sailings include Antonia Maersk on AE11 and Cornelia Maersk on ME2, both departing their final Asian calls before Suez on September 19, followed by Marchen Maersk on AE5 on September 21. The first AE12 sailing will be announced separately.

Eastbound implementation begins with Maastricht Maersk on AE5 on September 22, followed by Maersk Halifax on AE11 on September 28 and Cornelia Maersk on ME2 on October 31.

The returning services connect major Asian gateways with Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, including London, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Algeciras, Valencia, Barcelona, La Spezia, Genoa, Koper and Rijeka.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said routing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal provides shorter and more efficient transit times between Asia and Europe compared with the diversion around the Cape of Good Hope.

Both carriers stressed that further network decisions will remain dependent on security conditions in the region, with crew, vessel and cargo safety continuing to determine the pace of the return.

The addition of four more Gemini services represents a further recovery of mainline container traffic through the Suez Canal, as carriers progressively restore capacity to the traditional Asia-Europe maritime corridor.

Source: Almal News

Shipping Arabia, September 21, 2026 – Container ship traffic through the Suez Canal is showing a significant recovery, with total net tonnage rising 54.2% during the first eight months of 2026, as major carriers gradually restore services through the waterway.

The Suez Canal Authority said container ships transiting the canal recorded approximately 72.1 million tonnes of net tonnage between January and August, compared with 46.7 million tonnes during the same period of 2025.

The recovery was highlighted by the first Suez Canal transit of the 24,000-TEU OOCL Portugal, which sailed through the waterway on September 16 during a voyage from Belgium to China.

The approximately 400-meter vessel, with a beam of 61.3 meters and gross tonnage of 247,000 tonnes, operates on the NEU2 service under the OCEAN Alliance, directly connecting major ports in the Far East and Northwest Europe.

Suez Canal Authority Chairman and Managing Director Adm. Ossama Rabiee said the voyage was particularly significant as it marked COSCO SHIPPING Lines’ first southbound transit through the Suez Canal since the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb disruption.

Rabiee said several major shipping lines have now restored maritime services through the canal on Asia-Europe trades, including CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO.

The return of additional mainline services is beginning to translate into higher containership tonnage through Suez after prolonged diversions around the Cape of Good Hope disrupted traditional Asia-Europe routing.

On September 16 alone, 39 vessels with combined net tonnage of 2.3 million tonnes transited the canal, according to the authority.

The figures provide a further indication of the gradual recovery of Suez Canal container traffic as carriers reassess Red Sea operations and progressively return capacity to the shorter Asia-Europe route.

Source: Suez Canal Authority