Observation of long-term vessel schedules since early December 2024 have revealed that the ML – ME8 service suspension is one of the blips of the massive 2025 network overhauls to fly largely under the radar without any official announcement from Maersk Line. The 84 day rountrip service which skirts past the Cape of Good Hope and serves the Indian Subcontinent – Europe trade that we at eeSea classify as Asia – Europe has been active since December 30, 2023, eeSea reported.
The capacity of 12 vessels in the 6,000 TEU range has neatly been absorbed into Gemini’s shuttle feeder system but a couple of final voyages remain. The MAERSK CHAMBAL will phase in from the ML – AS1 on January 27 and continue a full roundtrip on the ME8 that spans through April 18 if her journey is not cut short.
ML – ME8 was most notably the final standalone Maersk Line service on the Far East – Europe trade – but the carrier maintains very active efforts to enhance it’s offerings in and around the Indian Subcontinent through ongoing partnershpis like the ML – SAFINA and the ML – MECL1.
