Premier Alliance Moves FE1 Asia-North Europe Service Back to Suez Canal

On Sept. 30, container analyst Linerlytica reported that the Premier Alliance, the vessel-sharing partnership of Ocean Network Express (ONE), HMM and Yang Ming, would move its FE1 service between Southeast Asia and North Europe back to the Suez Canal from October. Linerlytica described it as the alliance’s first switch away from the Cape of Good Hope since its services were rerouted in January 2024. According to The Loadstar, the change means nearly every global container line will route at least some Asia-Europe sailings through Suez in October, though cautiously.

FE1 Suez routing: ships, ports and dates

According to Linerlytica, the revised FE1 loop runs from Laem Chabang, Cai Mep and Singapore to Rotterdam, Hamburg and Le Havre, returning to Asia via Singapore and Laem Chabang. The first sailing on the new routing is the 8,110-TEU ONE Continuity, scheduled at Laem Chabang, Thailand, on Oct. 17. The European port list is unchanged from the rotation ONE introduced in June, El Estrecho Digital reported; what changes is the path between the two regions.

As reported by The Loadstar, which cited a revised pro forma schedule published by ONE, the ONE Continuity is due to reach the Suez Canal on Nov. 9 and make its first European call, Rotterdam, on Nov. 19. The Loadstar listed the ship’s Thailand departure as Oct. 19, two days after the Laem Chabang date given by Linerlytica. Three more FE1 vessels, the 9,000-TEU NYK Venus, the 8,200-TEU ONE Hamburg and the 9,000-TEU NYK Orion, are also scheduled to transit Suez after leaving Asia in November and December. The ONE Continuity was previously deployed on ONE’s SX1 service between Asia and the east coast of South America.

Why carriers are returning to the Red Sea

The Premier Alliance is not moving alone. In its Week 39 Market Pulse, Linerlytica counted more than 140 containerships, with a combined capacity above 2 million TEU, that have shifted back to the Suez route since May. The week before that report was the busiest for Suez container transits since 2024, with 30 ships of more than 4,000 TEU passing through. Cosco, which has scheduled nine eastbound voyages through the canal since mid-September, planned its first westbound transit in more than two years for Oct. 4, using the 24,188-TEU OOCL Spain, deployed on its AEU1/LL1 service.

Security sentiment may be part of the shift. The Loadstar, citing a Financial Times report, said Houthi commanders sent a letter to the European Union’s diplomatic service on Sept. 10 promising not to attack European cargo ships.

What it means for shippers

For cargo moving between Asia and North Europe, a Suez routing is a much shorter voyage than the Cape of Good Hope, so shippers on the FE1 should watch for revised cutoffs and arrival dates as the first rerouted sailings approach. Schedules can still change if conditions in the Red Sea shift, so build buffer into delivery commitments until the new rotation has run for several weeks. Shippers comparing lanes can review typical options in our guide to shipping from China to the Netherlands.

A broader return to Suez also releases vessel capacity that has been tied up in longer voyages. How quickly that affects Asia-Europe pricing will depend on how many more services follow and on demand through the fourth quarter. Our guide on how shipping lines work and what moves freight rates explains how capacity feeds into pricing.