Shipping Arabia, September 24, 2026 – Hapag-Lloyd has introduced a new feeder arrangement to maintain Casablanca coverage following changes to its West Africa Express (WAX) service, which now provides direct connections between Damietta and key West African ports.
The carrier will market the new Casablanca Feeder (CSF) service using slots on X-Press Feeders’ SPX1 service, according to Alphaliner. The rotation covers Barcelona – Valencia – Algeciras – Casablanca – Barcelona, with cargo connecting to Hapag-Lloyd’s WAX network.
The arrangement follows Hapag-Lloyd’s decision to remove Casablanca from the revised WAX rotation while maintaining access to the Moroccan port through a separate feeder connection via Valencia.
Under the revised WAX structure, Hapag-Lloyd is strengthening links between the Mediterranean, Türkiye and West Africa, including direct connections from Damietta and Valencia to major West African ports. Damietta will also provide connections with other Hapag-Lloyd services calling at the Egyptian port.
The revised WAX rotation is Damietta – Izmit – Gemlik – Istanbul – Valencia – Tangier – Lagos (Tincan/Apapa) – Onne – Cotonou – Tema – Lomé – Tangier – Barcelona – Damietta. It also provides a direct Türkiye-Valencia connection.
The first announced sailing under the revised rotation was Merkur Ocean, voyage 2639S, with arrival at Damietta scheduled for September 21.
Hapag-Lloyd said the network changes are intended to provide greater operational flexibility and improve schedule reliability, while the new feeder arrangement allows the carrier to retain Casablanca within its wider Mediterranean and West Africa network.
Source: Almal News
Hapag-Lloyd
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Hapag-Lloyd Keeps Casablanca Coverage Through New Feeder Service
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MSC Becomes Largest Container Carrier at Damietta Port as Transshipment Drives Volumes
Shipping Arabia, September 22, 2026 – Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) became the largest container carrier operating through Damietta Port in 2025, handling 29.3% of the port’s container traffic as transshipment remained a major component of carrier volumes.
According to the latest Damietta Port Authority statistics, MSC handled approximately 375,800 TEUs, with transshipment accounting for 71.7% of its traffic through the port. The carrier had handled around 210,300 TEUs in 2024.
Yang Ming ranked second, accounting for 18.5% of Damietta’s container activity with approximately 236,800 TEUs. Unlike several other major carriers, foreign trade imports and exports represented 51.3% of Yang Ming’s traffic through the port.
Ocean Network Express (ONE) followed with a 9.4% share and approximately 120,000 TEUs, of which 61.9% was transshipment cargo. ONE had handled around 261,300 TEUs in 2024, when it accounted for 18.4% of the port’s container traffic.
Hapag-Lloyd recorded a particularly sharp shift, handling approximately 65,900 TEUs, equivalent to 5.1% of Damietta’s container activity, with transshipment representing 71% of its volume. In 2024, the carrier had handled around 454,700 TEUs and accounted for 32.1% of the port’s container traffic.
Other carriers serving Damietta included COSCO, CMA CGM, RCL and China Shipping.
Overall, Damietta received 1,007 containership calls in 2025, compared with 1,020 in 2024. Containerized cargo declined 6% to around 13.4 million tonnes, while throughput fell 10% to approximately 1.42 million TEUs, from 1.58 million TEUs a year earlier.
The figures highlight the importance of transshipment to Damietta’s container business, while also showing a significant redistribution of volumes among the major global carriers using the Egyptian Mediterranean gateway.
Source: Almal News
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Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd Return Four More Gemini Services to Suez Canal
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