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All the mainline operators look set to resume Suez Canal transits for their Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean services.
Taiwan’s Evergreen will join its Ocean Alliance partners in doing just that this week, while Yang Ming and South Korea’s HMM will join their Premier Alliance partners restarting Suez crossings next month.
Linerlytica’s report today says Evergreen will send the 16,556 teu Ever Eon и Ever Edit on eastbound Suez transits on the Ocean Alliance’s NEU7/CES service on 7 and 11 November, respectively, with the 20,124 teu Ever Gifted on the alliance’s MD2 service on 16 November.
The Premier Alliance’s Asia Mediterranean 1 (MD1) service will resume Suez transits next month, adding a new call at Sokhna to cater for Asia-Red Sea cargo. The revised MD1 rotation will call at Ningbo, Shanghai, Shekou, Singapore, Sokhna, (Suez Canal), Damietta, Ambarli, Izmit, Mersin, Damietta, (via Suez), Singapore, Kaohsiung, and Ningbo, starting with Yang Ming’s 11,714 teu YM Trust at Ningbo on 13 November.
The revised MD1 will turn in 84 days and will deploy 12 ships of 11,700 to 14,000 teu from Yang Ming, compared with 16 ships on the present Cape route.
Shipping lines turned away from Suez and diverted vessels round the Cape of Good Hope in late 2023, after the Houthis began attacking vessels in response to Israel’s conflict with Palestine. In recent months, vessel capacity constraints, and competitive pressures following a temporary easing of regional security risks, have convinced shipping lines to resume Suez crossings.
Israeli carrier Zim is the only major shipping line sticking to the Cape route, possibly due to its nationality.
Представитель HMM заявил Лодстар South Korea’s flagship carrier had assessed the risks before deciding to resume Suez transits.
She said: “This matter was decided and agreed upon from a Premier Alliance perspective, following a comprehensive review of market conditions and safety aspects.”
Linerlytica said: “All three main carrier alliances, along with MSC, are set to make a full return to the Suez by Q1 27, leaving Zim as the only main carrier left on the Cape route.”
The Gemini Cooperation partners, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have also signalled a full Suez resumption by Q1 27, and launched a new Asia-Mediterranean service that passes through the canal.
The shortened sailing times do not augur well for Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean rates, however, with the 1 November price hikes failing to gain traction, and further rate declines are expected in the coming weeks, as supply growth is not outpacing growth in demand.
With this, shipping lines are also adding more Red Sea calls to capitalise on rising Shanghai-Persian Gulf rates.
Evergreen is relaunching its China-Red Sea service on 12 November to coincide with the resumption of its Suez transits. The OGRD service will call at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Jeddah, Sokhna, Aqaba, Jeddah, Port Klang, and Qingdao.
The service will turn in 56 days but will initially only deploy four 7,000-9,000 teu ships, operating on a fortnightly basis starting with the 7,024 teu Ever Superb at Qingdao.
MSC has extended its Far East-Indian subcontinent Shikra service to Khor Fakkan in the UAE and Oman’s Sohar port, as it capitalises on the high demand and freight rates to the Middle East, despite severe congestion at these ports. The first Khor Fakkan call was made on 18 October, by the 24,346 teu MSC Micol under the new Shikra rotation that calls at Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Singapore, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Khor Fakkan, Sohar, and Dalian.
The extended service will turn in 15 weeks, using up to 15 14,000-24,000 teu ships. The largest of them will call at the western Indian ports as well as Khor Fakkan and Sohar. These ships will face severe delays, especially at Khor Fakkan, with waiting times of more than two weeks to berth.