by Priya Radünzel, SeaNewsEditor

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.

Temporary rotation change on Maerk's NeoSamba service

Due to ongoing congestion, Maersk has extended its NeoSamba port rotation change, with Southampton replacing London Gateway for four more September 2025 voyages .

The following vessels are affected by this extension:

• Maersk Laguna - ETA Southampton: 4 September
• San Marco Maersk - ETA Southampton: 11 September
• Maersk Londrina - ETA Southampton: 18 September
• Maersk Lins - ETA Southampton: 25 September

Additionally, the carrier will skip Paranagua on upcoming southbound sailings due to weather delays in the region.

• Maersk La PAZ / 531S - ETD Paranagua: 1 September
• Maersk Leticia / 532S - ETD Paranagua: 8 September
• Maersk Labrea / 533S - ETD Paranagua: 15 September
• San Raphael Maersk / 534S - ETD Paranagua: 22 September
• Maersk Lanco 535S - ETD Paranagua: 29 September

The updated rotation is: Tangier - Southampton - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - Tangier - Santos - Buenos Aires - Montevideo - Rio Grande - Paranagua - Santos - Tangier.

Premier Alliance withdraws Asia - US West Coast service

The Premier Alliance will suspend its transpacific service PS5 until further notice.

According to the published ONE schedule, the last vessel, NYK Constellation, will sail from Qingdao on 3 September 2025.

The PS5 service connects Asia to the US ports of Oakland and Long Beach. The suspension was announced as temporary with no indication when the service will be reintroduced.

New & updated services

Asia↔Mediterranean

The Gemini alliance will add a port call in Gwangyang on its service between Asia and East Mediterranean ports as follows:

• Carrier service name: AE15 (Maersk), SE3 (Hapag Lloyd)
• Port rotation: Qingdao - Gwangyang - Ningbo - Tanjung Pelepas - Port Said - Ismit - Istanbul - Port Said - Singapore - Qingdao
• First sailing: Al Qibla Express / 536W, ETA Gwangyang 9 September

Asia↔Meditteranean

Premier Alliance will divide its MS2 pendulum service between Asia, North America, and the Mediterranean in response to new port fees targeting Chinese-built ships starting in October.

The Asia-Mediterranean segment will operate as a standalone service, renamed Mediterranean 2 (MD2) service. The Transpacific segment will be integrated with the AG1 service and launched as the new Gulf Pacific South 2 (GS2) service. The details are as follows:

• Carrier service name: MD2
• Port rotation: Pusan - Shanghai - Ningbo - Kaohsiung - Shekou - Singapore - Tangier - Valencia - Barcelona - Genoa - Fos-sur-Mer - Singapore - Pusan
• First sailing: Hyundai Neptune / 040W, ETA Pusan, 7 September

• Carrier service name: GS2
• Port rotation: Singapore - Laem Chabang - Cai Mep - Shanghai - Pusan - Long Beach - Oakland - Pusan - Dalian - Xingang - Qingdao - Pusan - Shanghai - Ningbo - Kaohsiung - Shekou - Singapore - Jebel Ali - Dammam - Jubail - Hamad - Abu Dhabi - Jebel Ali - Sohar - Singapore
• First sailing: YM Wonderland / 028E, ETA Singapore, 4 September

Europe↔South and Central America

Starting in January 2026, CMA CGM will revise the port rotation of its NEFWI service between North Europe, Central America and the Caribbean. Rotterdam and Puerto Antioquia will be added to the rotation, while the call in Montoir will be removed. Additionally, the carrier will increase the number of deployed vessels from six to seven.

• Carrier service name: NEFWI
• Port rotation: Rotterdam - Antwerp - Le Havre - Fort de France - Pointe a Pitre - Kingston - Puerto Antioquia - Puerto Moin - Cartagena (Colombia) - Santa Marta - Fort de France - Pointe a Pitre - Dunkirk - Rotterdam
• First sailing: TBA

In early September, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC will remove the call in Itapoá, Brazil, on their Europe to East Coast South America service. Hapag-Lloyd Itapoá cargo will be served via transhipment in Rio de Janeiro on the MSE service. The revised rotation and first sailing will be as follows:

• Carrier service name: ECX (Hapag-Lloyd), NWC to SAEC - String I (MSC)
• Port rotation: Rotterdam - London Gateway - Hamburg - Bremerhaven - Antwerp - Le Havre - Sines - Rio de Janeiro - Santos - Buenos Aires - Montevideo - Rio Grande - Navegantes - Paranagua - Santos - Rio de Janeiro - Salvador - Pecem - Tangier - Rotterdam
• First sailing: MSC Letitzia / 536A, ETD Rotterdam 6 September

Indian Subcontinent↔Middle East

In September, CMA CGM will revise its service between India and the Middle East by reducing the number of vessels from three to four and dropping port calls in Jebel Ali, Jubail and Shuaiba.

• Carrier service name: BIGEX
• Port rotation: Mundra - Nhava Sheva - Abu Dhabi - Umm Qasr - Abu Dhabi - Sohar - Mundra.
• First sailing: CMA CGM Manaus, ETD Mudra 3 September

MSC announced it will launch a new service between India and the Middle East in September as follows:

• Carrier service name: North India to Middle East
• Port rotation: Mundra - Nhava Sheva - Sohar - Abu Dhabi - Hazira - Mundra.
• First sailing: MSC Capri, ETD Mundra on 9 September.

Intra Asia

Evergreen will revise the port rotation of its KTP service by replacing the call in Kaohsiung with Taipei as follows:

• Carrier service name: KTP
• Port rotation: Manila - Laem Chabang - Hong Kong - Taipei - Dalian - Tianjin Xingang - Qingdao - Hong Kong - Shekou - Kaohsiung - Manila
• First sailing: Ever Bliss, ETD Manila on 4 September.

Intra Europe

Starting in September, ONE will merge its Aegean Express and Levant Express services, offering direct sailings from Marmara and Aliaga to Northern Europe.

• Carrier service name: Levant Express (LEX)
• Port rotation: Southampton - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Hamburg - Alexandria - Mersin - Damietta - Gebze - Istanbul - Aliaga - Southampton
• First sailing: SC Houston / 007S, ETA Southampton, 9 September

Transatlantic

Starting 7 September, Hapag-Lloyd will revise the rotation of its AL7 service between the Mediterranean and the North American East Coast. The call in Mersin, Turkey, will be replaced by Damietta, Egypt.

• Carrier service name: AL7
• Port rotation: Damietta - Ashdod - Haifa - Piraeus - Livorno - Genoa - Barcelona - Valencia - Halifax - New York - Norfolk - Savannah - Kingston - Valencia - Barcelona - Damietta
• First sailing: Felixstowe / 525W, ETA Damietta 7 September

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

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