Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will implement a structural change to one of its existing services that connect Asia and Europe via the Mediterranean.
The two companies said that their AE15 service will now sail via the trans-Suez route instead of transiting via the Cape of Good Hope. The first sailing on this route will be undertaken by Majestic Maersk.
Maersk added that this joint decision with Hapag-Lloyd came following thorough assessments of the security situation in the Red Sea area, in addition to marking a step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor. This means that AE15 will have the rotation: Qingdao – Kwangyang – Ningbo – Tanjung Pelepas – Port Said – Damietta – Colombo – Singapore.
"The route through the Suez and the Red Sea is the fastest, most sustainable and most efficient way to serve customers with transport between Asia and Europe," Maersk said in a press release on the update of the AE15 service. "By making this structural change to the AE15 service, where it will transition it to the trans-Suez corridor instead of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, we will offer more efficient transit times for customers."
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said they 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.
