Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have jointly announced the structural realignment of four routes - AE5, AE11, AE12, and ME2 - operating under the Gemini Cooperation framework. The affected services will resume transit via the Suez Canal, discontinuing the extended Cape of Good Hope diversions. Maersk noted that, together with the previously realigned AE15 and AE19 services, the Gemini Cooperation network now counts six routes restored to Red Sea passage.

The structural adjustments deliver the following updated port sequences:

AE5 connects Asia and Northern Europe, with the revised rotation calling at: Qingdao - Ningbo - Tanjung Pelepas - Suez Canal - London - Bremerhaven - Hamburg - Rotterdam - Algeciras - Suez Canal - Tanjung Pelepas.

AE11 connects Asia and the Mediterranean, with the revised rotation calling at: Shanghai - Yantian - Tanjung Pelepas - Suez Canal - Tangier - Valencia - Barcelona - La Spezia - Genoa - Vado Ligure - Suez Canal - Singapore.

AE12 connects Asia and the Mediterranean, with the revised rotation calling at: Ningbo - Shanghai - Tanjung Pelepas - Suez Canal - Algeciras - Koper - Rijeka - Algeciras - Suez Canal - Singapore.

ME2 connects India and Europe, with the revised rotation calling at: Ennore - Colombo - Suez Canal - Algeciras - Rotterdam - London - Hamburg - Tangier - Suez Canal - Colombo.

Maersk has affirmed that the Suez Canal represents a critical maritime corridor linking East and West, and a key enabler of efficient global supply chains. Transit via the Suez Canal and Red Sea constitutes the fastest, most sustainable, and most operationally effective means of delivering services between Asia and Europe. By restoring these four routes to Suez Canal passage - rather than maintaining Cape of Good Hope diversions - Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd position themselves to deliver materially enhanced transit performance for their customers.

Maersk has stated that both carriers will continue to monitor the security situation in the Middle East with close and sustained attention. Any further realignment of the Gemini Cooperation network will be contingent upon the continued stabilisation of the Red Sea region and the absence of renewed conflict escalation. The safety of crew, vessels, and customer cargo remains the paramount priority governing all operational decisions.

The broader Middle East security environment continues to evolve, with both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait subject to ongoing pressure. Nevertheless, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces does not appear to have impeded the liner industry's determination to advance Red Sea reinstatement. The pace of return is accelerating - outpacing earlier projections - and has emerged as one of the defining variables shaping competitive dynamics across the container shipping market.

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