Container lines redirect Gemini service back through Middle East waterway after months of lengthy diversions via Cape of Good Hope
Container shipping lines Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk are to send their Gemini Cooperation Indian Ocean Service back through the Red Sea in the coming days, a move which reroutes the service away from its current longer journey around the Cape of Good Hope.
In a statement, Hapag-Lloyd said the decision followed a “careful assessment of the current security situation in the Red Sea area”.
The first vessel to return to the more direct route will be the Atlanta Express, which is scheduled to depart Salalah on 4 November.
Another, the Savannah Express, is due to depart Tangier on 12 November under the revised routing.
Hapag-Lloyd said the departure dates were approximate and remained subject to operational conditions.
The decision to return Gemini vessels to the shorter Red Sea passage marks an important and seemingly positive development for the international fresh produce trade.
Shipping lines diverted around southern Africa to avoid security risks in the Red Sea, but this added significantly to transit times for shipments between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Hapag-Lloyd said the Red Sea route provided the most efficient connection and would offer faster transport for customers moving cargo between those regions.
It added that safety considerations would continue to determine its approach to the route and that conditions would remain under review.
“The safety of our crews, vessels and customers’ cargo remains our highest priority,” it stated. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and inform affected customers in case of further relevant changes.”
