In 2025, the container shipping industry ushers in a brand-new alliance landscape. The Gemini Cooperation agreement and the Premier Alliance officially commenced their operations on February 1st. Meanwhile, the Ocean Alliance (OA Alliance) maintains its existing alliance model, while Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) continues to operate as an independent ocean carrier.
The Gemini Cooperation Agreement
The Gemini Cooperation agreement is formed by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, and both companies have committed to improving the voyage schedule reliability. Rolf Habben Jansen, the CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, stated, "We will work with Maersk to fulfill the commitment of achieving a 90% schedule reliability rate."
The goal of this alliance is to set new industry standards in terms of shipping sustainability and decarbonization. Habben Jansen added, "Thanks to our efficient 'hub-and-spoke' operation model, we can deploy larger vessels, thus optimizing the sailing speed, reducing the vessel idle time, and lowering the carbon emissions, saving a great deal of time and resources for our customers."
It is expected that within the next few months, approximately 340 container ships will be successively put into operation and join the shared network of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. The maiden voyage set sail on February 1st, and more ships will be gradually put into operation according to the new route plan.
Johan Sigsgaard, the Chief Ocean Product Officer of Maersk, said, "We are ready to gradually activate the new network. Over the past year, we have carefully planned this to ensure that all our customers can smoothly transition to the new network. With the innovative design, we believe that our customers will benefit from higher reliability, flexibility, and more competitive products."
The transition period is expected to last until the end of May, during which ships will gradually join the new network. The existing agreements between Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and other shipping companies will also expire. June will be the first month when the new network is fully operational, and by then, all ships will sail according to the Gemini schedule.
The shared network of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd covers 29 mainline routes and 28 regional feeder express routes, focusing on the east-west trade routes.
Ocean Alliance (OA Alliance)
It is composed of CMA CGM, Cosco Shipping, Evergreen Marine Corporation, and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL).
According to the analysis of the Asian shipping consulting firm Linerlytica, the OA Alliance will become the shipping alliance with the largest market share and the widest market coverage this year.
Another well-known shipping consulting firm, Alphaliner, reported that the OA Alliance will deploy approximately 390 container ships with a total capacity close to 5 million TEU.
According to statistics, the OA Alliance will dominate the transpacific routes, planning to open 15 routes to the west coast of the United States and 8 routes to the east coast of the United States.
Premier Alliance
The Premier Alliance is currently composed of Ocean Network Express (ONE), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, covering the main east-west trade routes, including:
Route from Asia to the West Coast of the United States
Route from Asia to the East Coast of the United States
Route from Asia to the Mediterranean
Route from Asia to Northern Europe
Route from Asia to the Middle East
In addition, the Premier Alliance will cooperate with MSC, the world's largest shipping company, on multiple routes. Currently, the two parties have reached nine space exchange agreements for the Asia-Europe routes.
Jeremy Nixon, the CEO of ONE, said, "Starting from February, the Premier Alliance will join hands with MSC to provide customers with a stronger and more extensive end-to-end port service. We look forward to the new cooperation with MSC and jointly give full play to our respective advantages in operational experience and network synergy."
