Premier Alliance Returns to Suez as North Europe Port Delays Rise

The Premier Alliance is moving its FE1 Southeast Asia–North Europe service back to the Suez Canal. ONE, HMM and Yang Ming were the last holdout among the three major alliances and MSC, and the first Suez-routed FE1 sailing is scheduled to leave Laem Chabang on October 19.

For importers, the exposure sits at the destination end. The revised FE1 schedule puts Rotterdam roughly a week closer than the previous Cape-based schedule, and vessels will arrive at North European hubs where berthing delays rose through late September. If onward truck or barge transport and warehouse slots are still booked against the old arrival date, an early container discharge could leave cargo sitting at the terminal while free time runs.

FE1 Switches to Suez From Mid-October

Linerlytica reported on September 30 that the revised FE1 will call at Laem Chabang, Cai Mep and Singapore, then Rotterdam, Hamburg and Le Havre, before returning to Asia via Singapore. It marks a return from Cape routing for the participating carriers’ European services following the Red Sea diversions that began in January 2024.

Vessel	Capacity	Suez routing
ONE Continuity	8,110 TEU	Laem Chabang Oct 17 (Linerlytica listing); departure Oct 19 (ONE pro forma); Suez Canal Nov 9; Rotterdam Nov 19
NYK Venus	9,000 TEU	Suez transit after leaving Asia in November or December
ONE Hamburg	8,200 TEU	Suez transit after leaving Asia in November or December
NYK Orion	9,000 TEU	Suez transit after leaving Asia in November or December

FE1 vessels scheduled for Suez routing. Sources: Linerlytica (Sep 30, 2026); ONE’s revised pro forma as reported by The Loadstar (Oct 1, 2026).

Linerlytica places ONE Continuity at Laem Chabang on October 17, while ONE’s revised pro forma, reported by The Loadstar, lists departure on October 19. The dates may refer to arrival and departure during the same port call. ONE’s schedule then places the vessel at the Suez Canal on November 9 and Rotterdam on November 19.

FE1 is part of a wider shift. Linerlytica counts more than 140 containerships, representing just over 2 million TEU in aggregate nominal vessel capacity, that have moved from the Cape to the Suez route since May. In late September it recorded the busiest week for Suez container transits since 2024, with 30 ships above 4,000 TEU passing through. The Cape has not emptied: Linerlytica still counted about 250 ships on Cape routings as of September 21.

When we last tracked the return on September 25, a Yang Ming move was unconfirmed and OOCL’s first test transit was expected in October. FE1 now gives the Premier Alliance a dated Suez schedule. COSCO scheduled its first westbound Suez voyage in more than two years, the 24,200 TEU OOCL Spain on the AEU1/LL1 service, for October 4.

The Service Name No Longer Sets Your Arrival Week

During a phased return, two vessels on the same loop can follow different routes. Earlier FE1 sailings remain on Cape-based schedules, while ONE Continuity and the three vessels following it are scheduled through Suez, subject to subsequent carrier revisions.

The gap between the routes is large enough to reorder arrivals. ONE’s published FE1 schedule from May 2026 gave a Laem Chabang–Rotterdam transit of approximately 38 days via the Cape. The revised schedule puts ONE Continuity’s October 19 departure in Rotterdam on November 19, approximately 31 days later. That is roughly a one-week reduction between the two published schedules.

The broader route difference can be larger. On UNCTAD’s representative Shenzhen–Rotterdam voyage, the Suez routing takes about 31 days and the Cape routing about 41. On a weekly loop, a Suez sailing can therefore reach Rotterdam close to, or ahead of, a Cape sailing that left Asia a week earlier. Actual differences depend on port rotations, operating speeds and vessel schedules.

Maersk flagged the same risk earlier this year. It warned that if Suez-routed and Cape-routed vessels reach Europe at similar times, importers could face compressed delivery schedules.

An earlier arrival helps only if the receiving side moves with it. Under carrier tariffs that start import demurrage free time at discharge, a box that lands a week ahead of the planned date can use up free days while its truck, barge or warehouse slot remains booked for the old date. The applicable tariff and last free day need to be checked for each shipment.

The inland legs out of the range are slow as well. Barge operator Contargo reports average waiting times of 56 hours in Rotterdam and 36 hours in Antwerp, and Maersk has warned customers that low water on the Rhine could make barge transport unfeasible for a time.

The reverse case applies too. Cargo rolled from one sailing to the next on a loop that is still switching can land on a vessel with a different routing, and arrive later than the original booking suggested.

If your team is re-planning Asia–North Europe arrivals sailing by sailing, walk through how ops teams catch routing and ETA changes at container level before the delivery plan slips.

North Europe’s Main Hubs Were Slowing Before the Return

The latest Tradlinx Port Congestion Index, covering September 22 to October 5, shows where the pressure sits. Northern Europe’s regional median berthing delay is 3.9 hours, and only 11 of its 65 active ports are rated BUSY or CONGESTED. The strain is concentrated in the large gateways.

These readings establish conditions in early October, ahead of FE1’s scheduled November arrival. Actual congestion at discharge will depend on how queues and terminal operations develop in the intervening weeks.

Port	Level (2-week)	Delay, 2 weeks	Delay, 1 week	Delay, 3 days	Vessels waiting
Rotterdam	CONGESTED	22.6h	24.0h	22.3h	44
Wilhelmshaven	BUSY	17.7h	15.5h	25.5h	14
Zeebrugge	BUSY	18.9h	20.2h	21.1h	11
Felixstowe	STABLE	13.1h	17.7h	25.4h	2
Antwerp	BUSY	3.9h	3.7h	3.2h	27
Hamburg	BUSY	2.9h	n/a	n/a	35
Le Havre	LOW	5.7h	5.4h	3.8h	0
Bremerhaven	LOW	2.3h	2.0h	2.0h	5

Berthing delay is the average time vessels waited before berthing. Vessels waiting is the count on the Oct 5 reference date. Hamburg shows no available reading for the 1-week and 3-day windows. Source: Tradlinx Port Congestion Index, Sep 22 to Oct 5, 2026.

Rotterdam, FE1’s first European call, moved two bands from STABLE to CONGESTED. Its two-week berthing delay rose 9.9 hours to 22.6 hours, against a one-month average of 14.8 hours, with 44 vessels waiting on the reference date.

The constraint predates the Suez return. The Port of Rotterdam Authority reported that transshipment volumes fell 20% in the first half of 2026 because of terminal capacity constraints, with extra capacity expected at several container terminals from the end of the year. The shortage is particularly relevant to cargo requiring transshipment at Rotterdam, where onward connections depend on available terminal capacity and vessel schedules.

Antwerp and Hamburg show short berthing delays of 3.9 and 2.9 hours, yet both are rated BUSY in the composite index, with 27 and 35 vessels waiting. The relatively low berthing-delay figures do not rule out other operational constraints. In Germany, Kuehne + Nagel reports yard utilization of 80% to 85% in Hamburg and 90% in Bremerhaven.

Felixstowe and Wilhelmshaven are the short-window readings to watch. Felixstowe is still rated STABLE on its two-week average, but its three-day reading reached 25.4 hours. Wilhelmshaven’s reached 25.5 hours.

One risk eased this week. On October 6, the ver.di union and German port employers’ association ZDS announced a new collective bargaining agreement covering approximately 11,000 port workers, reducing the immediate risk of strikes at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and other German seaports.

Pricing reflects the split between the two Europe trades. In Freightos’ October 6 update, Asia–North Europe rates stood at $3,260/FEU, about $400 above mid-May, while Asia–Mediterranean rates, at $3,555/FEU, had slid back to pre-peak levels. Freightos suggests congestion at some North European hubs may be part of the reason.

What to Check on Asia–North Europe Bookings Now

Routing by sailing. For each open booking, confirm whether that specific voyage goes via Suez or the Cape. On a loop that is switching vessel by vessel, the service name alone won’t tell you.
A new ETA baseline. ONE Continuity and the following FE1 vessels are scheduled via Suez. Recalculate delivery dates from each vessel’s latest published routing and ETA rather than assuming the previous Cape transit time applies.
The receiving plan. Move truck, barge and warehouse bookings with the ETA so an early Suez arrival doesn’t sit in the terminal while free time runs. Confirm the applicable last free day with the carrier.
The discharge port in the final week. Rotterdam’s berthing delay averaged 22.6 hours over the two weeks ending October 5. Check the latest short-window readings for your discharge port in the week before arrival rather than relying on October conditions.
Barge-dependent inland moves. With Contargo reporting 56-hour barge waits in Rotterdam and Maersk warning that low Rhine water could temporarily make barge moves unfeasible, evaluate truck or rail alternatives where practical.
Transshipment at Rotterdam. Boxes that change vessel there may be exposed to terminal capacity constraints and changes in onward connections. Reconfirm the feeder schedule and expected connection time as the arrival approaches.

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