The AR1 service offered by the alliance comprising Ocean Network Express (ONE), Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming, and HMM, connects ports in Northeast and Southeast Asia with ports of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Aqaba in Jordan and Egypt’s Sokhna Port.

“We regret to inform you that, due to recent security developments around the Red Sea, the AR1 service will be temporarily suspended until further notice. This decision is a proactive measure to prioritize the safety of our crew, vessels, and your cargo,” ONE said in a customer advisory.

“While we understand the inconvenience this may cause, the suspension is a precautionary measure due to security concerns in the region. We are closely monitoring the situation and will resume the AR1 service as soon as it is deemed safe for vessels to operate in the area again.”

The diversion of the service from Port Klang, it’s last port of call in Asia via the Cape of Good Hope, rather than sailing directly to the Red Sea, is particularly lengthy compared to the overall voyage length and adds a transit through the Suez Canal.

For the remaining four sailings on the service one will transit via the Red Sea while the other three will sail via the Cape of Good Hope. Three of the vessels will discharge in Singapore.

In customer advisory Hapag-Lloyd said: “We are currently working on alternative routes to serve the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden ports and these will be announced shortly.”

Due to the ongoing security threat in the Red Sea to commercial shipping from Houthi rebels the majority of container shipping services transiting the region have diverted to the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope. Earlier this week two US-flagged Maersk containerships were subject to a failed missile attack while transiting the Red Sea.

The routing of the AR1 Service is Pusan – Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Singapore – Port Klang – Jeddah – Aqaba – Sokhna – Jeddah – Singapore – Pusan

By Marcus Hand. 28 Jan 2024