Shipping Weekly – 17 Sep 2026 | Alliances Split on Suez

The week of 10 to 17 September 2026 was the week the alliances split on the Red Sea. On 14 September the Gemini Cooperation (Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd) said it would move four more services off the Cape of Good Hope and back through the Suez Canal, naming the first vessels and dates. The Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen and OOCL), meanwhile, is keeping its seven Asia-Europe and four Asia-Mediterranean loops on the Cape. On the same Asia-Europe trade, the routing – and the transit time that comes with it – now depends on which carrier you book. Spot rates look flat at the headline level, but the components moved in opposite directions: the Transpacific rose while Asia-Europe fell again.

Key points this week

• Gemini moves four more services to Suez. On 14 September Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said AE5, AE11, AE12 and ME2 will shift from the Cape to the trans-Suez route, joining AE15 and AE19 for a total of six. First sailings: Antonia Maersk on AE11 from Tanjung Pelepas on 19 September, Marchen Maersk on AE5 on 21 September, and Cornelia Maersk on ME2 on 24 September.
• Ocean Alliance stays on the Cape. For its seven Asia-Europe and four Asia-Mediterranean loops the alliance has prepared alternative Suez routings but has given no timing for a switch. The two groupings have now taken opposite positions.
• Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM to file an improved proposal by end-September. After talks with the Israeli government the parties moved forward. The threshold at which a single foreign shareholder must notify the government drops from 24% to 10%, FIMI has pledged not to list the company outside Israel, and ZIM Israel (16 vessels) takes expanded responsibility for the golden share.
• Flat index, split internals. Drewry’s WCI held at $4,476 for a second week. Shanghai to Los Angeles rose 2% and Shanghai to New York 1%, while Shanghai to Genoa fell 3% and Shanghai to Rotterdam fell 2% to slip below $4,000.

Container rates and market conditions

The composite did not move because Transpacific gains offset Asia-Europe losses – it is not genuinely flat. The gap reflects tonnage returning to Asia-Europe as carriers resume Suez transits, while the Transpacific sees no such release. In West Africa, Tema has worsened to a 7-day average of 5.78 days, with reefer plug utilisation at 100%. Abidjan averages 4.25 days but window vessels are delayed up to 8 days, and the terminal recovery plan is expected to take 6-7 weeks. Lagos is mixed: Apapa still sees operational delays of up to 24 hours from rainfall and yard congestion, while Tincan has eased to a 7-day average of 2.0 days.

What changes when alliances take different routings?

Suez and Cape routings differ by roughly ten days each way on Asia-Europe. With Gemini switching four services, the same trade now carries different transit-time assumptions depending on the carrier. Ocean Alliance has alternatives ready but no announced timing, so the divergence is likely to persist for a while.

Two practical consequences follow. First, comparing quotes on price alone no longer works: for the same destination you need routing and transit time side by side, or the cheaper option may turn out to be two weeks slower. Second, competition for Cape tonnage continues – services to Africa share the same waters and the same ships as the carriers still rounding the Cape (route directory).

Carrier by carrier

What this means for shippers and forwarders

• Stop comparing quotes on price alone. With Gemini and Ocean Alliance taking opposite routing decisions, Suez and Cape services now coexist on the same Asia-Europe trade, roughly ten days apart each way. Put routing and transit time side by side with the rate.
• Lower your assumptions for Tema. Waiting time has worsened to a 7-day average of 5.78 days and reefer plug utilisation is at 100%. Even for dry cargo, a port that cannot clear reefers backs up the whole yard, so advise ETAs with buffer.
• Assume Abidjan is not normal before mid-October. Window vessels are delayed up to 8 days and the terminal recovery plan runs 6-7 weeks.
• At Lagos, the terminal you choose matters. Apapa still runs up to 24 hours of operational delay while Tincan has eased to around 2.0 days (Japan to Apapa).
• Longer waits raise the risk of exceeding free time. Where waits approach a week, storage and equipment detention charges become materially more likely. Settle the start-date definition and extension terms before loading (demurrage vs detention).
• West Africa surcharges keep widening by origin. CMA CGM now applies US$300 per TEU from China and US$500 per TEU from Southeast Asia. Japan is not in scope today, but it is worth asking explicitly whether a West Africa PSS applies whenever you request a quote (ocean freight cost breakdown).
• East Africa gains a live option this week. HMM’s GIA sails from Nhava Sheva. With four carriers sharing it, space should be accessible – but it is a roughly 2,800 TEU feeder originating in India, so Japan-origin cargo transships (Japan to Mombasa / Japan to Dar es Salaam).
• Europe rates are still falling. Shanghai to Rotterdam has dropped below $4,000. If securing space matters more than the last hundred dollars, a falling market is exactly when booking early pays (SOC containers / SOC vs COC / preparing for container shortages).

What to watch next week

• 19 SepGemini AE11’s first sailing, Antonia Maersk, departs Tanjung Pelepas.
• 21 SepGemini AE5’s first sailing, Marchen Maersk, departs; CMA CGM’s emergency space surcharge to Australia and New Zealand takes effect.
• 24 SepGemini ME2’s first sailing, Cornelia Maersk, departs.
• End SepHapag-Lloyd and FIMI expected to file the improved ZIM proposal.
• Wk 4 SepHMM’s GIA service sails from Nhava Sheva for the first time.
• 1 OctONE’s Europe Environment Surcharge for Q4 takes effect, including the extension to UK cargo.
• Mid-OctProgress on Abidjan’s 6-7 week terminal recovery plan.
• OngoingWhether Ocean Alliance names a date for switching to Suez. If it does, Cape tonnage moves all at once.

Sources

1. gCaptain — Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd accelerate return to Suez (14 September 2026)
2. Marine Insight — Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd resume more Suez Canal voyages
3. Seatrade Maritime — Ocean Alliance network keeps Cape rerouting, details Suez options
4. PortNews — Ocean Alliance maps “Day 10” network as carriers keep Cape routings
5. Container News — OCEAN Alliance marks 10 years with “Day 10 Product”
6. Globes — Hapag-Lloyd, FIMI to submit improved offer for ZIM
7. Ctech — Hapag-Lloyd and FIMI to submit improved bid for Zim
8. Maritime Executive — Hapag-Lloyd gets extension to rework bid for Zim
9. The Loadstar — Hapag-Lloyd offers new proposals in bid to take over Zim
10. DCN — World Container Index, 10 September 2026
11. Drewry — World Container Index
12. Container News — CMA CGM introduces new PSS from Asia to Africa trades
13. Container News — CMA CGM emergency space surcharge on Europe–Oceania trade
14. The Guardian (Nigeria) — CMA CGM China–West Africa PSS
15. Kuehne+Nagel — Port operational updates (2-8 September 2026)
16. Portcast — Abidjan port congestion
17. Portcast — Lagos port congestion
18. Logistics Manager — HMM launches Gulf–India–East Africa (GIA) service
19. India Shipping News — HMM launches India–East Africa service
20. Data Portuaria — HMM launches GIA route with five 2,800 TEU vessels
21. Container News — ONE updates Europe Environment Surcharge for Q4
22. ONE — Surcharge updates
23. Global Maritime Hub — Container shipping capacity reaches 21.3 million TEU
24. Seatrade Maritime — Container alliances still dominant
25. MSC Newsroom

This article was compiled by the OCEAN FREIGHT JAPAN editorial team from carrier disclosures and press reporting (period covered: 10-17 September 2026). Rate and surcharge levels and their conditions may change after announcement, and actual application varies by origin, cargo and contract terms. Always confirm applicability against the carrier’s official tariff and your own quotation.