Prioritising safety of seafarers, vessels, and cargo, Maersk has made changes to its ME2 service as the situation in and around the Red Sea continues to remain volatile.
According to a Maersk customer advisory, "for the time being", the ME2 service will be diverted via the Cape of Good Hope (COGH).
The revised rotation will be Jebel Ali, UAE – Mundra, India - Jawaharlal Nehru, India - Port Tangier, Morocco – Algeciras, Spain – Salalah, Oman - Jebel Ali, UAE.
This means the service will turn in the West Mediterranean and westbound calls to Salalah and Jeddah will be paused until further notice.
The first eastbound sailing to be affected by this change will be the Maersk Gibraltar, which will depart from Port Tangier on 23 January 2024. The first westbound sailing to be affected will depart from Salalah around 4 February 2024.
To minimise disruptions, the ports of Algeciras and Tangiers will be used for onward connections to northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Maersk is also adding a feeder for Valencia, Spain and Vado, Italy. Its hubs in Salalah and Jebel Ali will offer connections to remaining locations in the Middle East.
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