Shipping Arabia, November 11, 2026 – Gemini’s return to the Suez Canal is testing the ability of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to improve network efficiency while maintaining operational resilience. As the partners gradually restore services through the Red Sea, shorter voyages are creating new opportunities for fleet deployment, port connectivity and schedule optimization.
On November 2, the two carriers announced plans to reroute their India-Europe service (IOS/ME1) through the Red Sea. The decision adds another connection to the growing number of Gemini services using the Suez Canal instead of the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.
However, the operational benefits extend beyond reducing sailing distances. The partners are also adjusting service rotations and connections through key transshipment hubs. These changes will test whether Gemini can achieve greater efficiency without creating new vulnerabilities should regional security conditions deteriorate.
Shorter Voyages Create New Fleet Deployment Opportunities
One of the most immediate potential benefits of returning to the Suez Canal is the reduction in sailing distances. For weekly container services, shorter round-trip voyages could also reduce the number of vessels required to maintain regular departures.
For example, a weekly service with a 70-day round-trip duration would theoretically require 10 vessels. Reducing that duration to 63 days could allow the carriers to maintain the same weekly frequency with nine vessels.
This example illustrates the potential operational advantages of shorter routes. However, it does not represent a specific forecast for IOS/ME1. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have not disclosed the revised round-trip duration, the number of vessels currently allocated to the service or any plans to reduce its fleet requirements.
The carriers therefore have several options for utilizing any capacity released by shorter voyages. They could redeploy vessels to other trade lanes or retain additional capacity to support schedule recovery. Alternatively, they could adjust sailing speeds and port turnaround times.
Each option carries different commercial and operational implications. Consequently, Gemini’s return to the Suez Canal could provide additional flexibility without necessarily resulting in an immediate reduction in vessel deployment.
Salalah and Tanger Med Retain Key Roles in Gemini’s Network
The rerouting of IOS/ME1 forms part of a broader restructuring of Gemini’s service network.
On October 19, Maersk announced additional network enhancements, including the introduction of the AE18 service and adjustments to AE2, AE11 and AE19. These changes involve more than route optimization, as they also redistribute port calls and transshipment functions across the network.
Under the revised arrangements, AE2 will replace its westbound call at Tanger Med with Rotterdam. Meanwhile, AE11 will add a westbound call at Salalah and replace Tanger Med with Port Said. The new AE18 service will cover certain calls at Tanger Med and Algeciras previously served by other services.
These adjustments are particularly relevant to IOS/ME1, which retains Salalah and Tanger Med in its updated rotation. Both ports will therefore continue to play important roles in connecting India and Europe, even as Gemini reorganizes its wider network.
Salalah gains an additional role through AE11 while maintaining its existing IOS/ME1 connection. Conversely, Tanger Med will lose calls from AE2 and AE11 but remain part of the network through IOS/ME1 and AE18.
The changes reflect a redistribution of network functions rather than a comprehensive shift toward or away from individual ports. Changes in vessel calls alone cannot determine future cargo volumes, transshipment activity or market shares.
Instead, the operational significance lies in how the revised network connects mainline services with transshipment hubs. The challenge will be to improve connectivity without making cargo movements increasingly dependent on specific connection windows.
Feeder Connectivity Will Determine Commercial Benefits
Gemini’s hub-based operating model relies heavily on coordination between mainline vessels and feeder services. While the Suez Canal can reduce time at sea, the resulting benefits depend on what happens once containers reach transshipment ports.
A vessel may arrive earlier at a hub without delivering a meaningful improvement in cargo transit times if the onward feeder departure remains unchanged. Similarly, a missed connection or delay at the transshipment port could offset the time saved during the mainline voyage.
Conversely, even a modest reduction in sailing time could generate significant commercial benefits if containers connect with an earlier onward service.
This distinction highlights the importance of assessing end-to-end cargo transit times rather than focusing exclusively on vessel sailing times. For customers, the value of a shorter route ultimately depends on whether their shipments reach their destinations faster and more reliably.
The network adjustments announced in October indicate that Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are reorganizing these connections alongside their routing decisions. However, sufficient data is not yet available to quantify the resulting improvements.
A comprehensive assessment would require updated origin-to-destination schedules, connection times between services and actual operational performance following implementation.
Red Sea Security Remains Central to Contingency Planning
Security conditions remain a critical factor in Gemini’s return to the Suez Canal. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have indicated that further routing decisions will depend on developments in the Red Sea.
The carriers’ latest statements regarding ME1 emphasize that the safety of vessels, crews and cargo will remain the primary consideration in future operational adjustments.
This creates a practical challenge for network planning. A service designed around Suez Canal transits has different voyage durations and scheduling requirements from one operating around the Cape of Good Hope.
Should security conditions require another diversion, the carriers may need to accommodate longer voyages, revise departure schedules or deploy additional vessels to maintain service frequency.
Retaining reserve vessel capacity could make it easier to switch between the two routes. However, maintaining that flexibility could also limit the immediate efficiency gains associated with shorter voyages.
Alternatively, redeploying surplus vessels could improve fleet utilization while reducing the capacity available to respond to future disruptions.
The cost of maintaining alternative routing options, together with continuing security risks, therefore remains an important uncertainty during the transition.
Measuring the Success of Gemini’s Return to the Suez Canal
The success of Gemini’s evolving strategy will depend on actual operational performance rather than simply the number of announced Suez Canal transits.
A key indicator will be the realized transit times and schedule reliability of IOS/ME1 following its rerouting through the Red Sea. The quality of connections through Salalah and Tanger Med will provide another measure as the wider network adjustments take effect.
Changes in vessel deployment and service frequencies could also reveal how the partners are utilizing the operational flexibility created by shorter routes.
Meanwhile, developments in port capacity could provide additional context. However, these should be assessed alongside changes affecting other carriers and trade lanes rather than attributed exclusively to Gemini.
The latest rerouting decision signals continued progress toward a network with a greater reliance on the Suez Canal. Nevertheless, it does not demonstrate that the transition is complete or that Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have already achieved measurable capacity savings.
For the two partners, the central operational test remains whether shorter routes, revised transshipment arrangements and effective contingency planning can coexist without compromising the schedule reliability that Gemini was designed to deliver.
Source: Al Mal