Due to the “dynamic situation” in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Hamburg-based liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd and its alliance partners are suspending their AR1 service until further notice.
Hapag-Lloyd was one of the first container liner shipping companies to send its ships around the Cape of Good Hope instead of through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal in order to avoid attacks by the Houthi militia off the coast of Yemen. This particularly affects the Asia Red Sea Service (AR1). [ds_preview]
Previously, AR1 offered customers of THE Alliance, which includes Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Yang Ming and HMM, a fast connection from East Asia to the Red Sea, covering Korea (Busan), Central and South China (Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou) and Singapore as a transshipment point for Southeast Asia. The service offered a direct connection to Jeddah, Aqaba and Sokhna. There was a connection to Aden in Yemen via the Red Sea Feeder service.
“We are currently working on alternative routes to serve the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden ports and will announce them shortly,” Hapag-Lloyd explained. “Please be assured that we will resume our services through the Suez Canal as soon as it is deemed safe for our vessels, the crews and your cargo on board,” it added.
In recent weeks, Hapag-Lloyd had already established shuttle services for the Northern Red Sea and overland connections through Saudi Arabia. The Hamburg-based liner shipping company will continue to operate in the alliance with its Asian partner until the end of 2024, after which it will switch to the new Gemini alliance with Maersk .
