Some Asia–Europe Shipping Services to Return to the Suez Canal
From September 19, 2026, some Asia–Europe shipping services will gradually shift from routing around the Cape of Good Hope back to the Suez Canal, while port congestion and tight capacity continue.
What are the key facts?
- 1Some Asia–Europe services will gradually shift from routing around the Cape of Good Hope back to the Suez Canal
- 2The first route adjustments take effect September 19, 2026
- 3Affected lanes include Asia–North Europe, Asia–Mediterranean, and India–Europe
- 4Northern European and Mediterranean ports continue to face congestion and tight capacity
What happened?
A logistics market update shows that some Asia–Europe services in the Maersk–Hapag-Lloyd cooperation network are gradually shifting from routing around the Cape of Good Hope back to the Suez Canal. The first adjustments will take effect on September 19, 2026, with further service changes expected on September 21 and September 24. The affected lanes include Asia–North Europe, Asia–Mediterranean, and India–Europe. More than one-quarter of Asia–Europe capacity is expected to pass through the Red Sea region in September. However, terminals in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean continue to face congestion and tight capacity. The return to the Suez Canal does not mean transit times will stabilize immediately; shipping routes, insurance, war-risk coverage, port waiting times, and transshipment plans may still change.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
From September 19, 2026, some Asia–Europe shipping services will gradually shift from the Cape of Good Hope back to the Suez Canal, but congestion and tight capacity remain at Northern European and Mediterranean ports, so transit times will not stabilize immediately. Sellers of bulky furniture, appliances, auto parts, and goods stored in overseas warehouses should reassess routes, insurance, port waiting times, and transshipment arrangements to avoid inventory gaps.
What should sellers do now?
- 1Use a replenishment-cycle calculator to reschedule replenishment plans for Asia–North Europe, Asia–Mediterranean, and India–Europe. Lock space 4–5 weeks in advance for bulky and overseas-warehouse SKUs, and record new arrival milestones and risk notes.Restock planner
- 2Review current inventory in Northern European and Mediterranean warehouses. Use an inventory-turnover calculation to identify SKUs at risk of stockouts or overstock because of port congestion, then create a prioritized list for replenishment, transfers, and inventory reduction.Inventory turnover
- 3Create this week’s ocean-freight procurement list and record the Suez or Cape of Good Hope route, space, insurance, and war-risk coverage status for each shipment. Cover the September 19, September 21, and September 24 adjustment batches and complete an exception review.Procurement List