Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Add Jeddah Port to Red Sea Service

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are expanding their renewed use of the Red Sea and Suez Canal, adding a call at Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to their AE15 Asia-Mediterranean service even as renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis adds another layer of uncertainty to the region.

Maersk announced the revised rotation following the recent return of the Gemini Cooperation's AE15 service to the Suez Canal after an extended period of routing around the Cape of Good Hope.

The new rotation will take effect with Madison Maersk, voyage 632W, and will operate: Qingdao – Kwangyang – Ningbo – Tanjung Pelepas – Jeddah – Suez Canal – Port Said – Damietta – Suez Canal – Colombo – Singapore – Qingdao.

The addition of Jeddah is notable because it brings the service directly into the Red Sea at a time when security conditions remain highly fluid.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced in early July that AE15 would transition from the Cape of Good Hope back to the trans-Suez route, beginning with Majestic Maersk. The carriers described the move as part of the Gemini Cooperation's gradual restoration of its Suez Canal network following security assessments of the Red Sea.

Maersk subsequently announced that its independently operated MECL service connecting India, the Middle East and the U.S. East Coast would also return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal. That service is also adding an eastbound Jeddah call beginning in August.

Together, the moves represent a significant, though still cautious, expansion of Maersk's exposure to the Red Sea after nearly three years of widespread diversions around southern Africa.

The timing, however, comes as the security picture has become more complicated.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis returned to direct hostilities with Saudi Arabia in July, ending roughly four years of relative calm between the two sides. The confrontation has quickly extended to commercial shipping.

On July 20, the Houthis declared an immediate "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia, threatening Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea. Several tankers carrying Saudi crude subsequently reversed course, while the Houthis claimed attacks against Saudi oil tankers Encelia and Layla.

The renewed hostilities introduce another potential complication for the container shipping industry just as major carriers begin testing a broader return to Suez.

Since late 2023, Houthi militants have targeted more than 100 merchant vessels in and around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sinking four commercial ships, seizing the Galaxy Leader and killing multiple seafarers. The attacks prompted most major container lines to divert around the Cape of Good Hope, dramatically reducing traffic and revenue through the Suez Canal.

Maersk has repeatedly stressed that its return to the corridor remains dependent on security conditions and that contingency plans are in place to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope if the threat environment deteriorates.

The addition of Jeddah to AE15 nevertheless represents another step toward rebuilding Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's pre-crisis network through the region. It also puts the Gemini service directly into a Saudi port at a time when Houthi threats have once again specifically focused on Saudi-linked maritime traffic.