Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are rerouting their AE15 service through the Suez Canal and Red Sea, ending the Cape of Good Hope diversion in what the shipping lines describe as a step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor.
The AE15 service, which operates as part of the Gemini Cooperation network, connects Asia with the Mediterranean and will switch to the shorter Suez route following an assessment of security conditions in the Red Sea area.
The first vessel to operate on the revised routing would be the Majestic Maersk, with the change reducing transit times and emissions compared with sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, said Maersk.
The revised rotation will call at Qingdao, Kwangyang, Ningbo, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Said, Damietta, Colombo and Singapore.
The decision followed an assessment of the security situation in the Red Sea area and was intended to provide customers with competitive transit times and improved schedule reliability, the shipping line said. However, Maersk said there were no plans to change the routing of other Gemini services at this stage and no timeline had been set for a broader return to the trans-Suez corridor.
The AE15 service could be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope again if security conditions deteriorated, Maersk said.
Container shipping lines have diverted vessels around the Cape since attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea disrupted the Suez Canal route, extending voyage times and increasing vessel capacity requirements. The longer Cape route has also contributed to higher operating costs and disruptions to container shipping schedules.
Maersk said it would continue to monitor security conditions before making further changes to its network.
