The Premier Alliance is resuming its East-West services through the Suez Canal. The news was announced in a customer advisory by Ocean Network Express, which – together with HMM and Yang Ming – makes up the shipping alliance.
In the statement, the carrier announces that it will be bringing back its Asia-Mediterranean 1 (MD1) and Mediterranean Pacific South 2 (MS2) services, operated as part of the Premier Alliance, on the Red Sea and Suez Canal routes, offering its customers shorter transit times between Asia and the Mediterranean.
The new MD1 service rotation will kick off with the Yang Ming Trust, which is due to depart from the Chinese port of Ningbo on 10th November 2026. It will call at Ningbo, Shanghai, Shekou, Singapore, Sokhna (Egypt), Suez, Damietta, Istanbul (Ambarli), Izmit (Turkey), Mersin (Turkey), Damietta (Egypt), Mersin (Turkey), Damietta (Egypt), Singapore and Kaohsiung.
The second route in question is the MS2, operated by the vessel ONE Synergy, which is set to depart from Qingdao on 16th November 2026. This service is of particular interest for the Italian market as it includes calls at Genoa and La Spezia. The route is as follows: Qingdao – Busan – Shanghai – Ningbo – Kaohsiung – Shekou – Singapore – Piraeus – Valencia – Barcelona – Genoa – La Spezia – Fos-sur-Mer – Singapore – Laem Chabang – Cai Mep (Ho Chi Minh City) – Yantian – Busan – Long Beach – Oakland – Qingdao.
ONE specified that the decision was taken following a careful assessment of the security situation in the region, stating that it will continue to monitor it and that routes may be changed subject to operational and geopolitical developments.
Translation by Giles Foster