Maersk–Hapag-Lloyd Joint ME1 Service Returns to the Suez Canal
The India–North Europe service resumes Suez transits, cutting about 14 days per voyage, as more Gemini network services abandon the Cape of Good Hope detour.
Maersk announced on 2 November 2026 that its joint ME1 service with Hapag-Lloyd, running from India to North Europe via Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Salalah, Suez, Tangier, Rotterdam, Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, London and Algeciras, has resumed transits through the Suez Canal instead of rounding the Cape of Good Hope. The Atlanta Express voyage 644W, departing Salalah on 4 November, and the Savannah Express voyage 644E, departing Tangier on 13 November, are the first sailings on the restored routing.
The route shortens each voyage by roughly 14 days. Both carriers stressed the change remains conditional on Red Sea security, but market analysts note Suez container transits have reached their highest weekly count of 2026, adding to expectations of easing freight rates on Asia–Europe lanes if normalization continues.