Group’s Umm Qarn vessel to become first westbound Gemini SE1 sailing to transit the Suez Canal and Red Sea
Shipping group Hapag-Lloyd has confirmed that its Asia-Europe service Gemini SE1, which it runs in partnership with Maersk Line, will switch to the Suez Canal and Red Sea route in late October.
In a statement, the company said its Umm Qarn vessel would depart Ningbo in China on 27 October, and be the first westbound service to transit via the Gulf.
The same ship is scheduled to depart Algeciras in Spain on an eastbound journey via the Red Sea on 5 December.
Hapag-Lloyd’s confirmation of the first SE1 sailings through Suez marks another set forward for the perishable container shipping trade, as it cautiously returns to what is a shorter Asia–Europe route compared with current services, which have been rerouted around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
