Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will move four more Gemini Cooperation services from the Cape of Good Hope to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
The carriers said in a joint routing update that the changes would affect services connecting Asia with Northern Europe and the Mediterranean as well as India with Europe.
Hapag-Lloyd identified the services as NE4, SE1, SE2 and IEX.
According to the carrier, the first westbound sailings will depart from Tanjung Pelepas and Colombo from September 19. The first eastbound sailings will depart from Algeciras, Vado Ligure and Tangier from September 22.
Hapag-Lloyd said the first sailing date for the SE1 service would be announced later.
“The Red Sea route is the most efficient connection for these voyages and supports faster transport options for customers shipping between Asia and Europe,” the carrier said.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said the decision follows an assessment of security conditions in the Red Sea. They will continue monitoring the situation and notify customers of any further changes.
The latest decision significantly expands the carriers’ phased return to the corridor. Freight News reported in July that Gemini ended its Cape diversion for the AE15 Asia-Mediterranean service, which was the first Gemini service to return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
Maersk subsequently returned its MECL service, connecting India and the Middle East with the US East Coast, to the trans-Suez route. In August, Gemini moved the AE19 service from the Cape route to Suez.
However, the Global Shippers Forum (GSF) has questioned whether the security conditions justify the widening return, according to a Kuehne+Nagel report.
GSF Director James Hookham described the decision as a “reckless gamble”, citing continuing volatility in the Middle East and the Houthis’ ties to Iran.
Although recent attacks targeted Saudi-bound oil tankers rather than container vessels, Hookham said cargo owners need greater transparency about the intelligence and security assurances underpinning the carriers’ decisions.
He warned that renewed attacks on commercial shipping could force carriers to divert vessels during the September and October peak season, disrupting supply chains ahead of year-end retail demand.
Maritime Analyst Lars Jensen offered a more measured assessment, Kuehne+Nagel reported. Jensen said recent Houthi military activity appears to be directed at Saudi oil tankers and linked to the group’s conflict with Saudi Arabia rather than container shipping.
He said no container vessel has been attacked in the southern Red Sea for more than a year, indicating that liner operators regard a gradual normalisation of the route as the current baseline.
Most major container services began diverting around the Cape of Good Hope after attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea escalated in late 2023. The diversions extended voyage times, increased operating costs and required carriers to deploy additional vessel capacity to maintain weekly schedules.
