Gemini (Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd) Returns to Suez Canal for ME1 Service
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The Gemini Cooperation, formed by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, announced that its ME1 service, which connects India and Europe with a call at the port of Algeciras, will return to sailing via the Suez Canal instead of rounding the Cape of Good Hope. The route change will take effect from November 4.
The first westbound transit on the revised route will be made by the vessel Atlanta Express, which will depart from Salalah, Oman, on November 4. In the opposite direction, the vessel Savannah Express will cover the first departure from Tangier. Regarding the last call via the Cape of Good Hope, there is a discrepancy between the carriers: a port newspaper states it will be on November 13 in Tangier, while, according to Ports News, Maersk indicates November 13 and Hapag-Lloyd November 12, clarifying that the dates are approximate and subject to operational conditions.
Rotation and service names
The reworked rotation includes the ports of Mundra and Nhava Sheva in India, Salalah in Oman, the Suez Canal, Tangier, Rotterdam, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg and London, then calling at Algeciras and Tangier before returning via Suez and Salalah to Mundra. Maersk refers to this service as ME1, while Hapag-Lloyd identifies it as the Indian Ocean Service (IOS).
Gemini noted that the Suez Canal is a key shipping corridor between East and West for the efficiency of global supply chains, and stated that moving the ME1 string to this route will allow it to offer more efficient transit times to customers.
Gradual restoration via the Red Sea
The move is part of a gradual restoration of Gemini's services through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, after they had been diverted around southern Africa. The carriers had already returned the ME11 service, named IMX by Hapag-Lloyd, to the Suez route in February 2026. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd stressed that they will continue to closely monitor the security situation in the region, and that any future decision on the routes will depend on stability in the Red Sea, prioritizing the safety of crew, vessels and cargo.
