Ocean Network Express (ONE) will launch a weekly container service connecting Poland, Germany and Egypt in mid-October 2026, tightening its grip on a Baltic–Mediterranean trade corridor that has so far sat outside its core network map.

The new loop, branded the Poland Egypt Express (PEX), will run on a compact three-call rotation: Gdansk – Bremerhaven – Alexandria. Alexandria will be served on the southbound leg only, meaning cargo moving north from Egypt will need routing through ONE's broader intra-Europe connections rather than a direct PEX sailing.

The inaugural voyage falls to the Synergy Antwerp, which will operate sailing 642S. The vessel is scheduled to call at Gdansk between 15 and 17 October 2026 — the effective launch window for the service and the first date shippers can book against on the new rotation.

ONE has positioned PEX as more than a point-to-point shuttle. The carrier said the service will provide additional capacity and greater routing flexibility across its intra-Europe network, and will expand its coverage between the Baltic, Northern Europe and Egypt. Just as significant for forwarders, ONE notes PEX will complement its existing Levant Express service, giving the carrier two connected strings reaching into the eastern Mediterranean and Egyptian markets.

What it means commercially

For shippers in Poland and northern Germany — particularly those moving industrial goods, chemicals or consumer cargo into Egypt — the new string adds a second direct option where previously their volumes likely fed through transshipment hubs. A direct Gdansk call spares Polish exporters the feeder leg via Rotterdam or Hamburg, cutting both transit time and the transshipment risk that comes with hub congestion.

For ONE, the move is a low-cost footprint expansion. A short rotation with two loading ports and one discharge port keeps deployment requirements modest while extending the carrier's reach into Egyptian import demand from the Baltic region. Pairing the loop with Levant Express suggests ONE is building layered coverage of the eastern Mediterranean rather than betting on a single string.

For forwarders, PEX creates a new transshipment geometry. Volumes moving on Levant Express can now connect into Baltic and Northern European gateways through the PEX ports, and vice versa. That flexibility matters most when schedule reliability wobbles — a second routing option through ONE's own network reduces dependence on partner carriers or competitor loops.

The competitive backdrop

The Gdansk–Alexandria pairing also signals ONE's intent to defend share on Europe–Egypt flows, a lane traditionally served by carriers with established north Europe–Med strings. By anchoring the service at Bremerhaven between the Baltic and Med calls, ONE can co-load German export cargo alongside Polish volumes, improving vessel utilisation economics on both legs.

Whether PEX stays a three-port loop or grows additional calls will depend on early uptake. For now, the 15–17 October Gdansk window marks the first concrete test of demand on the new corridor — and the sailing performance of 642S will set the schedule baseline shippers and forwarders price their bookings against through the fourth quarter.