Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd begin phased return to the Suez Canal
Gemini partners resume some Asia-Europe sailings via the Red Sea after a security review
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are starting to bring some of their sailings back through the Suez Canal, easing away from the long detour around southern Africa that has shaped Europe-Asia shipping since Houthi attacks pushed carriers off the Red Sea route.
Maersk said the two lines, which run a shared network under their Gemini partnership, would resume selected transits after thorough assessments of the security situation in the Red Sea. The first change applies to the AE15 service linking Asia, the Mediterranean and Europe, where routing back through Suez cuts about four weeks off the round voyage, according to a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson.
The Suez and Red Sea corridor is the fastest link between Europe and Asia and carried roughly 10% of global seaborne trade before the attacks began. Investors reacted cautiously, with Maersk shares down 5.8% and Hapag-Lloyd off 2.7% in Friday trading, as analysts warned that a fuller return could add capacity and weigh on freight rates. One analyst described the move as the first step toward a complete return to the Red Sea by the end of the year.
The carriers had briefly restored their ME11 service between India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean via Suez in mid-February under naval escort, only to suspend transits again late that month after fighting involving Iran broke out.
