The change applies to the AE15/SE3 service, which connects Asia, the Mediterranean and Europe. According to Maersk, the service will now sail via the trans-Suez route instead of diverting around the Cape of Good Hope. The first sailing under the revised routing will be the Majestic Maersk.
However, the announcement is deliberately limited. Maersk says there are no current plans to change other Gemini services, and that a wider East-West network return to the Suez corridor is not yet being considered.
The revised AE15 rotation will be Qingdao, Kwangyang, Ningbo, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Said, Damietta, Colombo and Singapore.
The move follows what Maersk described as a joint assessment with Hapag-Lloyd of the security situation in the Red Sea area. The carrier said the change marks a step towards a gradual return to the trans-Suez corridor.
Reuters reported that the change could shorten passage duration by around four weeks, citing a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson.
But this is not a “back to normal” moment: Maersk is stressing that any further change will depend on continued stability in the Red Sea and the absence of further escalation in the region. If conditions deteriorate, individual sailings — or even the wider AE15 structural change — could be moved back around the Cape of Good Hope.
Jensen: good news, but not a full return
Container shipping analyst Lars Jensen described the announcement as “good news in the Red Sea crisis”. Writing on LinkedIn, Jensen noted that the AE15/SE3 service in the Gemini network would revert to a Suez routing, while the Gemini partners do not currently plan to change other services.
He added that the carriers’ assessment “must be” that, despite uncertainty around the Hormuz crisis, the likelihood of that crisis spilling over into the Red Sea is limited.
Jensen also pointed out that container vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited, with major carriers still focused on getting ships out of the Persian Gulf.
Not the first Gemini move through Suez
The AE15/SE3 decision also fits into a wider Gemini strategy that had already been signalled earlier this year.
In February, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk announced that one Gemini service linking India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean would be routed through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, with naval assistance. At the time, the carriers also said they would later look at moving the SE1 and SE3 services through the Red Sea and Suez Canal when possible.
The latest AE15/SE3 move therefore appears to be the next step in that phased approach, rather than a sudden wholesale return.
Why the market is watching closely
The Suez Canal is the shortest major sea route between Asia and Europe. When carriers avoid the Red Sea and sail around the Cape of Good Hope, vessels spend longer at sea, schedules become harder to manage and effective global container capacity is reduced.
That has helped support freight rates during periods of disruption. A return to Suez would do the opposite: shorten voyages, release capacity and potentially put downward pressure on rates.
That explains why the announcement attracted attention beyond operational circles. Reuters reported that shares in both Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd fell after the news, as investors considered what a broader return to Suez could mean for freight rates and carrier earnings.
For customers, however, the first question is more practical: whether one service can reliably operate through the corridor without triggering another round of emergency diversions.
One service, many caveats
For now, the safest reading is that Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are probing the corridor, not reopening it at scale.
The AE15/SE3 change gives shippers a potentially faster Asia-Europe option, but the carriers are keeping plenty of room to reverse course. Maersk’s own advisory makes clear that safety of crew, vessels and cargo remains the priority, and that contingency plans are in place if the security picture worsens.
The caution is reinforced by events in the Gulf. Reuters reported that three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, prompting a new round of US strikes on Iran. A day later, ship-tracking data showed that at least four oil and gas tankers had turned back from attempting to transit the strait, underlining how quickly security incidents can reshape carrier behaviour.
