The Gemini Cooperation’s AE19 service, marketed by Hapag-Lloyd as SE4, will now operate through the Red Sea and Suez Canal instead of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. The structural change took effect immediately, beginning with the Berlin Mærsk on westbound voyage 628W and the subsequent eastbound voyage 637E, according to Maersk’s announcement.
The move represents another step towards restoring regular container services through the corridor, which most major carriers have largely avoided since attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea began in late 2023.
AE19 becomes the second service to return
The AE19 connects ports in China and South Korea with Southeast Asia, Saudi Arabia and the western Mediterranean. Its revised rotation is: Xingang – Qingdao – Busan – Ningbo – Shanghai – Tanjung Pelepas – Jeddah – Suez Canal – Port Said – Tangier – Port Said – Suez Canal – Jeddah – Singapore – Xingang.
Tangier therefore remains the service’s western terminus, with onward connections serving European markets.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said the decision followed a detailed assessment of security conditions in the Red Sea. Unlike an individual trial sailing, the announcement constitutes a structural change to the service, meaning AE19 is now scheduled to use the Suez route regularly.
Maersk said the switch would provide more efficient transit times, although it did not quantify the expected saving for AE19.
The service is the second Gemini loop to be moved back to Suez this summer. In early July, the partners announced that the AE15 service, which links Asia, the Mediterranean and Europe, would also stop travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. Hapag-Lloyd said that change would shorten the round voyage by approximately four weeks, Reuters reported.
Maersk has separately confirmed that its MECL service between the Middle East and the US East Coast will return to the Suez route. The company estimates that this will shorten westbound transit times by an average of seven days, while eastbound journeys could be up to 14 days faster.
No full Gemini return planned yet
Despite the additional service change, Maersk has stressed that Gemini is not preparing to shift its entire network back to the Suez Canal. The carrier said it currently had no plans to alter any further Gemini services and had set no timetable for a wider return. It also said the partners were not yet considering moving their full East–West network away from the Cape route.
That caution reflects how quickly the security environment can change. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd moved the ME11 service through the Red Sea in February, but suspended further transits and rerouted both ME11 and MECL around the Cape in March after security conditions in the Middle East deteriorated.
The carriers say they will continue to monitor the region, with the safety of crews, vessels and cargo remaining the determining factor in any further routing decisions.
