Container shipping companies adjust their services in response to market dynamics and operational hurdles. Stay informed of upcoming changes with Kuehne+Nagel's carrier service update, published bi-weekly on Sea News and seaexplorer.

Due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, carriers announced several changes to the sailing of some services passing the Suez Canal. An overview of the changes can be found in our Iran-US conflict overview.

New & updated services

Asia ↔ Middle East

Ocean Alliance launches a new service, MEX6. The average vessel capacity on the service will be 3,200 TEU.

• Carrier service name: MEX6
• Port rotation: Xiamen - Yangpu - Nansha - Abu Dhabi - Singapore - Xiamen
• First sailing: 01 Mar 2026

Asia ↔ North America

CMA CGM launches a new Transpacific service titled EX1. The first vessel to depart is “M/V PRESIDENT LB JOHNSON” from Qingdao.

• Carrier service name: EX1
• Port rotation: Qingdao – Busan – Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Los Angeles – Oakland – Yokohama – Naha – Busan – Qingdao
• First sailing: 26 Apr 2026

CMA CGM updates the EXX Transpacific service by dropping the port call at Kwangyang; the revised First vessel is CMA CGM New Jersey.

• Carrier service name: EXX
• Port rotation: Busan - Haiphong - Ningbo - Shanghai - Los Angeles - Honolulu - Dutch Harbor - Busan
• First sailing: 20 Feb 2026

ONE launches the PS8/AP2 transpacific service starting 18 May 2026 with the following details:

• Carrier service name: PS8/AP2
• Port rotation: Qingdao - Ningbo - Los Angeles - Oakland - Qingdao
• First sailing: 18 May 2026

Maersk updates the TP6/WC1 Transpacific service operated together with Hapag-Lloyd by replacing the Nansha call with Laem Chabang

• Carrier service name: TP6/WC1
• Port rotation: Yantian - Laem Chabang - Vung Tau - Yantian - Los Angeles - Yantian
• First sailing: 24 Feb 2026

Asia ↔ North Europe

The Gemini Cooperation announced updating several services on this route. Below is the description of each update.

The AE1/NE2 Asia–North Europe service is adding a port call at Antwerp.

• Carrier service name: AE1/NE2
• Port rotation: Shanghai - Yantian - Tanjung Pelepas - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - London Gateway - Tangier - Singapore - Shanghai
• First sailing: 06 Mar 2026

The AE12, which connects Asia, the Mediterranean and Europe, adds calls to Algeciras, Spain and Singapore. The service will no longer call Port Said East, Egypt and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

• Carrier service name: AE12
• Port rotation: Ningbo – Shanghai - Tanjung Pelepas – Algeciras – Koper – Rijeka – Algeciras – Singapore
• First sailing: 01 Apr 2026

The AE15 will add calls to Damietta, Egypt and Colombo, Sri Lanka. The service will no longer call Izmit, Turkey and Istanbul, Turkey.

• Carrier service name: AE15
• Port rotation: Qingdao – Gwangyang - Ningbo - Tanjung Pelepas – Port Said - Damietta - Colombo – Singapore
• First sailing: 01 Apr 2026

The AE3, adding calls to Yantian, Aarhus, Gothenburg and Southampton. The service will no longer call Ningbo, China and Algeciras, Spain.

• Carrier service name: AE3
• Port rotation: Shanghai - Yantian - Tanjung Pelepas – London Gateway – Aarhus – Gothenburg – Rotterdam – Southampton - Singapore
• First sailing: 01 Apr 2026

The AE5 will add calls to Ningbo, China and Algeciras, Spain. It will call Bremerhaven in Germany before calling Hamburg. The service will no longer call Yantian, China; Aarhus, Denmark and Gothenburg, Sweden.

• Carrier service name: AE5
• Port rotation: Qingdao - Ningbo - Tanjung Pelepas – London Gateway – Bremerhaven - Hamburg – Rotterdam – Algeciras – Tanjung Pelepas
• First sailing: 01 Apr 2026

CMA CGM launches the Ocean Rise Express (OCR) service starting 02 Apr 2026 with the following port rotation:

• Carrier service name: Ocean Rise Express
• Port rotation: Kobe - Nagoya - Yokohama - Xiamen - Yantian - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Southampton - Nansha - Kobe
• First sailing: 02 Apr 2026

Asia ↔ South America

HMM is changing the FL2 service with a new port rotation.

• Carrier service name: FL2
• Port rotation: Pusan – Shanghai – Shekou – Singapore – Rio de Janeiro – Santos – Itapoa – Singapore – Cai Mep – Haiphong
• First sailing: 20 Apr 2026

Carrier ONE is updating its SX2 service as follows:

• Carrier service name: SX2
• Port rotation: Pusan – Shanghai – Shekou – Singapore – Rio de Janeiro – Santos Itapoa – Singapore – Cai Mep – Haiphong
• First sailing: 20 Apr 2026

HMM launches the Vietnam Shuttle Express (VSE) Far East Latin Pendulum (FLP) service starting 28 Apr 2026 with the following details:

• Carrier service name: Vietnam Shuttle Express (VSE) Far East Latin Pendulum (FLP)
• Port rotation: Singapore - Cai Mep - Haiphong - Los Angeles - Busan - Shanghai - Shekou - Singapore - Rio de Janeiro - Santos - Itapoa - Singapore
• First sailing: 28 Apr 2026

North America ↔ North Europe

Ocean Alliance terminates the AT2/TAE2 Transatlantic service connecting North Europe to the East Coast of North America; the service is being discontinued.

• Carrier service name: AT2/TAE2
• Port rotation: Le Havre - Antwerp - Bremerhaven - Southampton - Charleston - Savannah - Le Havre
• First sailing: 11 Mar 2026

CMA CGM is launching the new service, California Bridge, connecting key ports on this trade.

•  Carrier service name: California Bridge
• Port rotation: Southampton – Le Havre – Hamburg – Antwerp – Miami – Cartagena – Rodman – Los Angeles – Oakland – Rodman – Caucedo – Southampton
• First sailing: 1 Apr 2026

Ocean Alliance updates the LIBERTY/AT1/TAE/ATE Transatlantic service operated in Ocean Alliance by adding port calls at Charleston and Savannah and dropping the call at Baltimore.

• Carrier service name: LIBERTY/AT1/TAE/ATE
• Port rotation: Southampton - Antwerp - Rotterdam - Bremerhaven - Le Havre - New York - Norfolk - Charleston - Savannah - Southampton.
• First sailing: 28 Mar 2026

CMA CGM announced a new service titled the NEW LIBERTY BRIDGE. The first vessel to depart is “OOCL CHONGQING” from Southampton.

• Carrier service name: NEW LIBERTY BRIDGE
• Port rotation: Southampton – Antwerp – Rotterdam – Bremerhaven – Le Havre – New York – Norfolk – Charleston – Savannah – Southampton
• First sailing: 27 Mar 2026

CMA CGM is also launching two new services on this trade as follows:

• Carrier service name: Panama Direct
• Port rotation: Zeebrugge – Rotterdam – Dunkerque – Le Havre – New York – Savannah – Philadelphia – Zeebrugge – Rotterdam – Dunkerque – Le Havre
• First sailing: 01 Apr 2026

• Carrier service name: Saint Laurent
• Port rotation: Antwerp – Bremerhaven – Rotterdam – Montreal – Halifax – Antwerp
• First sailing: 01 Apr 2026

ONE is updating the AT1 service. Baltimore will be replaced by Charleston and Savannah. The first vessel to depart on the AT1 is OOCL CHONGQING from Southampton.

• Carrier service name: AT1
• Port rotation: Southampton - Antwerp - Rotterdam - Bremerhaven - Le Havre - New York - Norfolk - Charleston - Savannah - Southampton
• First sailing: 27 Mar 2026

North America ↔ Oceania

MSC launches the Eagle service starting 11 Mar 2026 with the following details:

• Carrier service name: Eagle
• Port rotation: Philadelphia - Savannah - Freeport - Balboa - Papeete - Auckland - Sydney - Melbourne - Brisbane - Tauranga - Balboa - Cristobal - Philadelphia
• First sailing: 11 Mar 2026

North America ↔ South America

CMA CGM updates the BRASEX/BZX North America East Coast–South America East Coast service operated with COSCO by adding a port call at Turbo.

• Carrier service name: BRASEX/BZX
• Port rotation: is Cartagena (Colombia) - Turbo - Kingston - Veracruz - Altamira - Houston - New Orleans - Caucedo - Cartagena (Colombia) - Santos - Paranagua - Imbituba - Santos - Rio de Janeiro - Salvador - Cartagena (Colombia),
• First sailing: 19 Feb 2026

It also launches a new service on this route as of 1 April.

• Carrier service name: Victory Bridge
• Port rotation: Southampton – Rotterdam – Antwerp – Bremerhaven – Veracruz – Altamira – Houston – New Orleans – Southampton
• First sailing: 1 Apr 2026

North Europe ↔ South America

Hapag Lloyd updates the ECX service starting on 13 March, with an average capacity of 10204 TEU.

• Carrier service name: ECX
• Port rotation: London Gateway – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Bremerhaven – Antwerp – Le Havre – Sines – Rio de Janeiro – Santos – Itapoa – Buenos Aires – Montevideo – Rio Grande – Navegantes – Paranagua – Santos – Rio de Janeiro – Salvador – Pecem – Tangier – London Gateway
• First sailing: 13 Mar 2026

Maersk temporarily updates the Neo Samba North Europe–South America East Coast service, replacing the port call at London Gateway with Southampton.

• Carrier service name: Neo Samba
• Port rotation: is Tangier - Southampton - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - Tangier - Santos - Paranagua - Buenos Aires - Montevideo - Rio Grande - Paranagua - Santos - Tangier
• First sailing: 09 Mar 2026

CMA CGM updates its SAFRAN service. The port of London Gateway (GBLGP) has been temporarily replaced by the port of Southampton.

• Carrier service name: SAFRAN
• Port rotation: Southampton – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Antwerp – Tanger – Santos – Paranagua – Buenos Aires Montevideo – Rio Grande – Paranagua – Santos – Tanger.
• First sailing: 01 Mar 2026

For more point-to-point service options, including transit times across major ocean carriers, refer to seaexplorer.