News / Gemini India-Med loop could signal the beginning of full Suez return

Photo: VesselFinder

Gemini partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd announced today that the VSA’s India-Med loop would resume Suez Canal transits this month, after securing naval protection for the vessels.

“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,” the partners said.

“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.

The India-Med Loop – marketed as the AE11 by Maersk and as the IMX by Hapag-Lloyd – deploys 12 vessels with an average capacity of 15,500 teu, which are currently routed via the Cape of Good Hope.

However, that is set to change with the passage of the 16,200 teu Albert Maersk, which is en route to Mundra from Dubai. It is scheduled to call at Nhava Sheva and then Salalah on 11-12 February, according to Xeneta’s eeSea liner database.

The Gemini partners said the ship would be the first westbound sailing to transit the Red Sea and Suez Canal; it is scheduled to depart Salalah on 12 February so should enter the Mediterranean in the middle of the month.

However, the service’s first sailing to transit will be the 15,150 teu Astrid Maersk on its backhaul eastbound voyage. The vessel is berthed in Valencia and, according to its pro forma schedule, is due to depart tomorrow for Tanger. Loadstar sources believe it will most likely head to Suez after its call in Morocco, and thus fully complete the European rotation.

And, in a further sign of its increasing confidence in navigational security as well as lower insurance costs – understood to currently sit at 0.2%-0.3% of the value of the vessel’s hull, down from 1% previously – the carriers said they were planning the return of two further services, Asia-Med Loops 1 and 3 (AE12 and AE15/SE1 and SE3), to Suez.

“When possible, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk will also implement changes to the [Asia-Med Loops 1 & 3] services to go through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal at a later stage. In this respect, further information to customers and other relevant stakeholders will follow in due course,” the carriers said.

“No further changes to the Gemini network related to the Red Sea are foreseen at this stage.”

Vespucci Maritime CEO Lars Jensen said that, unless the situation with the Iran-backed, Yemeni rebels “suddenly deteriorates”, he expected Gemini’s decision was “highly likely to signal the beginning of a gradual return for all carriers over the coming months”.