The Ocean Alliance – comprising CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping, Evergreen, and OOCL – has confirmed continued diversion of its Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean services via the Cape of Good Hope from April 1, while detailing contingency port rotations via the Suez Canal.
The alliance announced its east-west network – The Ocean Alliance Day10 product – for the year in Boao, China, on Tuesday.
The network includes seven Asia-North Europe loops, four Asia-Mediterranean services, 22 transpacific services (from May), three Asia-Middle East services, and two currently suspended Asia-Red Sea routes, among others.
OOCL cited ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea as the reason for maintaining the Cape routing.
“As there are still uncertainties in the Red Sea region, OOCL's vessels will continue to be diverted to the Cape of Good Hope route for now to ensure the safety of our crews, your cargo and our vessels.
“At the same time, we are fully aware of the importance of preparing in advance, therefore, we will also provide a Suez Canal version of port rotation for applicable routes outlined in this announcement, but the exact time of implementation will be subject to the company's further notice,” the shipping line said.
The decision aligns with a reversal by CMA CGM, which pulled back plans to resume Suez/Red Sea transits on three services (FAL 1, FAL 3, and MEX), citing “a complex and uncertain international context”.
The network features port rotation refinements, enhanced coverage, and reliability improvements.
