Due to unforeseen operational constraints in the Red Sea region, Maersk has decided to divert some upcoming sailings on the ME11 (Middle East/India to Mediterranean) and MECL (Middle East/India to US East Coast) services from the trans-Suez route to the Cape of Good Hope. These constraints have made delays in the area unavoidable, and customers will receive updated transit schedules. The adjustments apply to published vessel rotations within the next three weeks.
On the ME11 westbound service, the Alexandra Maersk (607W) departing from Salalah is scheduled to use the trans-Suez route with an estimated departure time of February 26, 2026; the Maersk Houston (608W) will be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, with an estimated departure time of March 5, 2026; the Astrid Maersk (609W) has an estimated departure time of March 12, 2026. On the eastbound service, the Maersk Herrera (607E) departing from Algeciras will remain on the trans-Suez route, with an estimated departure time of February 27, 2026; the Maersk Hamburg (608E) departing from Tanger Med will be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, with an estimated departure time of March 8, 2026; the Angelica Maersk (609E) departing from Port Said will remain on the trans-Suez route, with an estimated departure time of March 6, 2026; the Maersk Huacho (610E) will be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, with an estimated departure time of March 15, 2026.
On the MECL westbound service, the Maersk Kensington (607W) and Maersk Sentosa (608W) departing from Salalah are scheduled to use the trans-Suez route, with estimated departure times of February 23, 2026, and March 2, 2026, respectively; the Maersk Detroit (609W) will be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, with an estimated departure time of March 11, 2026. On the eastbound service, the Maersk Senang (605E) departing from Tanger Med is scheduled to transit via the Cape of Good Hope, with an estimated departure time of March 1, 2026; the Maersk Denver (606E) will remain on the trans-Suez route, with an estimated departure time of March 8, 2026; the Maersk Seletar (607E) will be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, with an estimated departure time of March 12, 2026.
Maersk stated that these changes are temporary, and the company continues to prioritize using the trans-Suez route for ME11 and MECL sailings where possible. In early February, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, under their Gemini cooperation framework, made separate decisions regarding Red Sea routing, confirming that the shared IMX service (connecting India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean) will transit the Red Sea and Suez Canal with naval assistance, with this change planned to begin in mid-February. A.P. Moller - Maersk is a Danish integrated logistics company offering container shipping and end-to-end supply chain services. Hapag-Lloyd is a German container liner shipping company operating global liner services.
