The Gemini Cooperation, formed by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, has announced a structural modification of four of its services between Asia, India, and Europe to restore transit through the Suez Canal and stop circling around the Cape of Good Hope. The decision affects the AE5, AE11, AE12, and ME2 services, three of which include stops at the port of Algeciras.
The reorganization expands the number of Gemini services that utilize the Red Sea and Suez corridor. AE5, AE11, AE12, and ME2 will join AE15 and AE19, which already operate using this itinerary.
For Algeciras, the modification affects three connections with different characteristics. The AE5 links Asia with Northern Europe; the AE12 connects Asia with the Mediterranean and includes two stops in Algeciras within its rotation; while the ME2 connects India with the main northern European ports and places Algeciras as the first European stop after crossing the Suez Canal.
The AE5 service will have the rotation Qingdao-Ningbo-Tanjung Pelepas-Suez Canal-London-Bremerhaven-Hamburg-Rotterdam-Algeciras-Suez Canal-Tanjung Pelepas. Thus, the Algeciras stop is located after operations at the main northern European ports and before the service returns to Asia via Suez.
The AE12 features a different configuration and grants Algeciras a double stop. Its new rotation will be Ningbo-Shanghai-Tanjung Pelepas-Suez Canal-Algeciras-Koper-Rijeka-Algeciras-Suez Canal-Singapore.
With this scheme, Algeciras will be the first stop of this service in the western Mediterranean after transit through Suez from Asia. After operations in Koper and Rijeka, in the Adriatic, vessels will return to the port of Algeciras before heading again toward the Suez Canal and Singapore.
The third affected connection is the ME2, which connects India and Europe. The established rotation will be Ennore-Colombo-Suez Canal-Algeciras-Rotterdam-London-Hamburg-Tanger Med-Suez Canal-Colombo.
Also in this case, Algeciras will occupy an initial position within the European call, as vessels coming from Ennore and Colombo will reach the port of the Strait after crossing Suez, before continuing to Rotterdam, London, and Hamburg. On the return trip, the service will use Tanger Med before returning to the canal and heading to Colombo.
The fourth service included in the reorganization, AE11, does not call at Algeciras, although it does maintain a presence at Spanish ports. This connection between Asia and the Mediterranean will have the rotation Shanghai-Yantian-Tanjung Pelepas-Suez Canal-Tanger Med-Valencia-Barcelona-La Spezia-Genoa-Vado Ligure-Suez Canal-Singapore.
The recovery of the Suez corridor will allow shipping companies to reduce the routes associated with circumnavigating Africa around the Cape of Good Hope. Maersk believes that the route through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea allows for more efficient transit times for traffic between Asia and Europe.
The change is particularly significant for maritime networks between both continents after the period in which a large part of the regular lines diverted their vessels around southern Africa due to security situations in the Red Sea. Circumnavigating the continent increases distances traveled compared to the Suez route and modifies both transit times and the planning of rotations.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have stated they will continue monitoring the security situation in the Middle East. Any new modification of the services integrated into Gemini Cooperation will depend on stability in the Red Sea area and the absence of worsening regional conflicts.
The companies prioritize the safety of crews, vessels, and transported goods. The use of the Suez corridor will therefore remain conditioned on the evaluation of navigation conditions in the region.
With the newly announced structure, Algeciras is included in three of the four services that Gemini transfers from the Cape of Good Hope route to the Suez Canal. The port will have a stop in AE5, a double stop within AE12, and will be the first European port of ME2 for vessels coming from India and Colombo via Suez.