Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's are resuming sailings through the Suez Canal for four joint container routes, as the carriers look to bring more shipping options online through the long-contested waterway.
According to a September 14 release, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are restarting Suez transits for their AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 Gemini network services through the Suez Canal. That will be in addition to AE15 and AE19 services that already operate through the canal. The AE5 route connects Asia and Northern Europe, AE11 and AE12 both connect Asia to the Mediterranean, and ME2 links India and Europe.
The companies' Gemini network was launched in February 2025 as a means to coordinate ships, schedules and cargo capacity across a shared network of container routes. The network includes 29 mainline services, with 11 of those routes connecting Europe with Asia and the Middle East. Six of those 11 routes have now resumed transits through the Suez Canal, following several months where vessels were forced to reroute around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
This is despite ongoing security concerns in the Red Sea, which have continued to escalate. Any ship traveling between Asia and Europe via the Suez Canal must first pass through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where Houthis have rapidly been seizing territory along the coast of the Red Sea. The Guardian reports that Houthi rebels recently seized two critical islands in the Red Sea roughly 100 miles north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, effectively tightening the group's grip on key gateway.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd say that they plan to continue monitoring the security situation in the Middle East, and that any changes to Gemini services will depend on the ongoing stability of the Red Sea region.
