Not identical twins
New alliance to be launched in 2025 – the Gemini Cooperation. Maersk is leaving 2M, and Hapag-Lloyd freeing itself from The Alliance, in order for the two new partners to set up an alliance in 2025. By then the other major carriers will surely also have come together in new collaboration agreements.
A new (maritime) order is emerging. In February 2025 the shipping lines Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are launching the Gemini Cooperation, a new alliance.
The concomitant dissolution of 2M, in which Maersk and MSC were partners, was announced in January 2023. Hapag-Lloyd, in turn, is “terminating its membership of The Alliance at the end of January 2025,” as CEO Rolf Habben Jansen declared in a media release.
The new alliance will offer seven (partial) global solutions and 26 liner services. Twelve ports have been designated as ‘key hubs’ and will become central gateways in the combined network. In addition, 32 dedicated regional shuttle services will be offered from said hubs to other ports. 14 of these shuttle options will operate in Europe, 4 in the Middle East, 13 in Asia, and one in the Gulf of Mexico.
Maersk pointed out that its 59 terminals (owned and joint ventures) in 31 countries will be complemented by 20 terminals in which Hapag-Lloyd has a stake, located in Latin America, Europe, the USA, India as well as in North Africa.
Merry-go-round rings in a new era
The new Gemini Cooperation’s fleet will consist of 290 vessels with the overall capacity to carry around 3.4 million teu. Maersk will contribute around 60% of this. One of the’ promises for the future envisages “timetable reliability of more than 90%”. On top of this the shipping lines are also aiming to decarbonise their operations by 2040 (Maersk) and by 2045 (Hapag-Lloyd).
The merry-go-round of forming alliances has once again begun, ringing in a new era in shipping.