Maersk

Shipping Arabia, September 27, 2026 – Maersk has added Salalah in Oman to the rotation of its AE15 service connecting Asia and Europe, extending the service’s Middle East coverage and providing an additional connection between the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

The AE15 service forms part of Maersk’s east-west network and the Gemini Cooperation. Under the revised schedule, Salalah joins a rotation that includes major ports across Asia, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Revised AE15 rotation includes Salalah

Maersk said the updated AE15 port rotation will operate as follows: Qingdao – Gwangyang – Ningbo – Tanjung Pelepas – Jeddah – Suez Canal – Port Said – Damietta – Suez Canal – Salalah – Colombo – Singapore – Qingdao.

The revised routing places Salalah after the service’s second Suez Canal transit and before Colombo on the eastbound leg toward Asia.

The addition gives customers another shipping option linking the Mediterranean and Middle East with markets across the Asia-Pacific region, according to Maersk.

Morten Maersk designated for first eastbound call

Morten Maersk, operating voyage 638E, was designated as the first eastbound vessel to include the new Salalah call under the revised rotation.

According to the schedule announced by Maersk, the vessel was due to depart Damietta, Egypt, on September 18, 2026, before arriving at Salalah on September 24.

The addition of Salalah expands the number of Middle Eastern calls on AE15, with the revised rotation also including Jeddah before the service passes through the Suez Canal and continues to Port Said and Damietta.

Source: Al Mal News

Shipping Arabia, September 26, 2026 – Maersk has introduced emergency freight surcharges on container shipments affected by disruptions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, with total additional costs potentially reaching $4,800 per container depending on cargo type and whether the shipment moves aboard a vessel transiting the strait.

The measures cover shipments loaded from or destined for ports in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE. They also apply to Dammam and Jubail in Saudi Arabia and ports in Oman, excluding Salalah.

Maersk has set the emergency surcharge at $1,800 for a 20-foot dry container and $3,000 for a 40-foot dry container. Refrigerated containers, as well as equipment carrying special or dangerous cargo, will face a higher charge of $3,800 per container.

Additional Charge Applies to Hormuz Transits

Cargo moving aboard vessels that transit the Strait of Hormuz will be subject to an additional $1,000 per container. According to Maersk, the charge is intended to cover higher insurance premiums and crew risk compensation associated with operating through the affected area.

When combined with the $3,800 emergency surcharge for refrigerated, special or dangerous cargo, the additional Hormuz transit charge can bring total extra costs to $4,800 per container.

Maersk said the emergency freight surcharges also cover a wider range of expenses created by the disruption. These include alternative routings, storage costs, additional transportation and the movement of cargo from temporary storage locations to final destinations once onward transport can be carried out safely.

Alternative Routes Used for Upper Gulf Cargo

The carrier is also using alternative routings for shipments serving several Upper Gulf markets. Cargo moving to or from Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE is being routed through Salalah and Khor Fakkan.

Saudi Arabian import and export cargo will continue to move through Jeddah. The alternative arrangements form part of Maersk’s response to the disruption affecting normal cargo movements in the region.

The emergency measures therefore combine additional charges with changes to cargo routing as the carrier manages shipments serving markets around the Strait of Hormuz.

Booking Restrictions Remain in Place

Maersk has also maintained booking restrictions across parts of the affected region. The carrier is applying tighter limitations to refrigerated cargo, dangerous goods, out-of-gauge shipments and other specialized cargo.

At the same time, Maersk said particular attention will be given to essential food supplies, medicines and other perishable goods. These cargo types remain a priority as the carrier manages capacity and operational restrictions linked to the disruption.

The emergency surcharges, alternative routings and booking restrictions remain part of Maersk’s measures for handling cargo flows affected by conditions around the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Al-Mal

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