Restructuring of the World’s Three Major Shipping Alliances: Why Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Took a Different Path
In February 2025, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd officially launched the Gemini Cooperation. This partnership has not increased the total number of global liner shipping alliances, yet it has overhauled the operational logic that has long governed alliance collaboration. Traditionally, shipping alliances center on vessel sharing and route coordination. By pooling capacity and container slots, member carriers boost fleet utilization and expand global service coverage. Gemini, by contrast, extends integration deeper into end-to-end logistics networks. It unifies planning for deep-sea trunk lines, regional feeder services and barge transport systems, linking disparate regional markets via central hub ports. Industry observers are closely monitoring whether this new model can deliver more reliable sailing schedules. 1. Post-2M Era: The Restructured Global Alliance Landscape The birth of Gemini stems from a sweeping reshuffle of the worldwide container shipping alliance system. Maersk and MSC previ...