Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd resume four more Suez Canal services

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are resuming sailings through the Suez Canal for four additional joint container services. This move marks a gradual return to the Asia-Europe trade corridor, which many shippers abandoned earlier this decade due to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi militants in Yemen.

The companies announced that the AE5, AE11, AE12, and ME2 services will transition from the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope to the Suez Canal route to provide more efficient transit times. Maersk described the canal as a ‘vital maritime corridor between East and West and a key driver of efficient global supply chains.’

Both shipping groups will continue to monitor Middle East developments closely. Future adjustments within their ‘Gemini’ cooperation network will depend on whether regional conflicts escalate. The two companies established the Gemini network last year to reduce transport costs and improve schedule reliability.