AE15 service to return to Suez Canal route

Amid continued geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd’s AE15 service will sail via the trans-Suez route instead of transiting via the Cape of Good Hope.

The joint decision between Maersk and Lloyd’s table comes following thorough assessments of the security situation in the Red Sea area, with hope of a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor.

One of the Gemini services, AE15 will have the rotation of: Qingdao – Kwangyang – Ningbo – Tanjung Pelepas – Port Said – Damietta – Colombo – Singapore. Prior to this, it had been sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.

The Suez Canal and Red Sea offers the fastest and most efficient route to serve customers between Asia and Europe. The route has been largely unusable for the majority of carriers, given political volatility and a general lack of both safety and certainty in the area since late 2023.

“Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will continue to monitor the security situation in the Middle East region very closely, and any alteration to services within the Gemini Cooperation will remain dependent on the ongoing stability in the Red Sea area and the absence of any escalation in conflicts in the region,” said Maersk.

The company added: “The safety of the crew, the vessels, and customers’ cargo remains the highest priority. Should the security situation deteriorate, which may necessitate reverting individual sailings or the wider structural change of the service back to the Cape of Good Hope route, we have contingency plans in place.”