The Gemini alliance, formed by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, has announced a change to the AE19 / SE4 service rotation, returning it to the Red Sea and Suez Canal instead of routing around the Cape of Good Hope. The change takes effect immediately with westbound voyage 628W, followed by eastbound voyage 637E.
The service connects Asia, Saudi Arabia, the Mediterranean and Europe through the following rotation: Xingang, Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Tanjung Pelepas, Jeddah, Suez Canal, Port Said, Tangier, Port Said, Suez Canal, Jeddah, Singapore, and back to Xingang. The return to the original routing shortens transit times between Asia and Mediterranean ports, with direct calls at Port Said in both directions.