The shipping giants will route their India-Middle East-Mediterranean service through the Red Sea from mid-February
AP Moller–Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have decided to change the routing of one of their shared services under the Gemini Cooperation, transitioning it through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
According to the companies, all passages will be secured by naval assistance.
The service in scope is the IMX service – Maersk’s ME11 service – which connects India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean.
From mid-February, changes will be implemented on westbound sailings as of vessel Albert Maersk and on eastbound sailings as of vessel Astrid Maersk.
“The transfer of the ME11 marks a key milestone, enabling more efficient transit times for customers,” the shipping giants stated.
When possible, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk will also implement changes to the SE1 (AE12) and SE3 (AE15) services to go through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal at a later stage, they said.
No further changes to the Gemini network related to the Red Sea are foreseen at this stage.
”The implementation will be carried out in a way that keeps disruption for customers to a minimum, upholding the Gemini Cooperation’s trademark of industry leading schedule reliability,” the joint statement outlined.
”The highest possible security precautions will be undertaken, as the safety of the crew, the vessels, and the customers’ cargo remains the highest priority of both carriers.
”Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will continue to monitor the security situation in the Middle East region very closely, and any alteration to the Gemini service will remain dependent on the ongoing stability in the Red Sea area and the absence of any escalation in conflicts in the region,” they added.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd launched the Gemini Cooperation on 1 February 2025, with its network covering 29 shared mainliner and 29 shared shuttle services on East-West trade routes.
