On 14 September 2026 Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 will move from the Cape of Good Hope to the Suez Canal in both directions. They join AE15 and AE19, which already use the canal.
AE5 is the Asia to North Europe loop. Its published rotation is Qingdao, Ningbo, Tanjung Pelepas, Suez Canal, London, Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Rotterdam. The first westbound sailing on the new routing is Marchen Maersk, leaving Tanjung Pelepas on 21 September. AE11 starts with Antonia Maersk on 19 September, and the first AE12 date is still to be confirmed.
Maersk said the change gives more efficient transit times but depends on continued stability in the Red Sea and no escalation of regional conflict.
Sources
- Maersk: Structural changes to AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 Gemini services (opens in a new tab)
- gCaptain: Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd accelerate return to Suez despite Red Sea risks (opens in a new tab)
A summary of the public sources above, checked when it was published. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.