In September 2026, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced further Gemini services returning to the Suez route from the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, opening up faster shipping options between Asia and Europe.
Hapag-Lloyd's routing update of 28 September 2026 covered connections to both Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, with some changes taking effect on September departures. These were changes to selected services, rather than a return of the entire network.
Less time at sea means less time between paying for goods and having stock to sell or use. On repeat orders, a consistently shorter journey can also reduce the inventory needed to cover that time. A slightly cheaper booking may be less attractive if the goods spend considerably longer in transit.
Routing decisions depend on security conditions in the Red Sea and can change. We would check the route against the specific departure and destination, and revisit the delivery assumptions for orders not yet shipped. Where a shorter route is available, the schedule and the commercial case for the purchase can both improve.
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