Advisories
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd entering into an operational cooperation
We know that your business’ needs are evolving, and that the need for supply chain resilience and stability, has never been greater. That is why we are designing a best-in-class ocean network that will offer you an industry-leading combination of unprecedented reliability, speed to market, and geographical reach, all while continuing to support decarbonisation and our goal of being net-zero in the future.
To deliver this network, we have entered a long-term operational collaboration with Hapag-Lloyd. Called the ‘Gemini Cooperation’, it will be implemented from February 2025, immediately after the conclusion of our current 2M Alliance. In this email you will find an overview of the new network, plus links to more information.
Meeting our customers’ needs with reliability and reach
Hapag-Lloyd is a like-minded partner that shares our ambition and commitment to improving service quality and enhancing the value that we offer our customers.
Our new network will:
- cover 7 trades: Asia / US West Coast, Asia / US East Coast, Asia / Middle East, Asia / Mediterranean, Asia / North Europe, Middle East – India / Europe and Transatlantic
- comprise of 26 mainline services. The mainline ocean services will be complemented by a global network of dedicated shuttles centred around owned and/ or controlled transhipment hubs – thereof 14 shuttle services in Europe, 4 in the Middle East, 13 in Asia and 1 in the Gulf of Mexico. These shuttle services will offer a fast connection with flexible capacity between hubs and ports served by shuttle services, and vice versa.
- Seamless connections to a wide range of transportation products and logistical services
- Competitive transit times across strategic corridors
For more information on the new network and services, plus answers to frequently asked questions, please see our dedicated page on Maersk.com.
Between now and February 2025
The 2M Alliance is still a highly reliable network for the East West trades and MSC remains a valuable partner. We look forward to continued collaboration with MSC between now and the end of the 2M agreement in January 2025, followed by a smooth transition to the new Gemini network.
We will continue to share updates on the new Gemini network, including the new vessel schedule, during the course of this year. In the meantime, if you have any further questions about the new network and what it means for you and your business, please contact us – our teams are ready to assist and guide you.
As your trusted logistics partner, we look forward to embarking on this exciting new chapter together.
External Q&A in connection with operational cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd
Maersk is progressing the design of a best-in-class ocean network that will deliver on the needs
of our customers through industry-leading reliability, geographical reach, and speed to market.
Customers can expect:
- A robust mainliner network supplemented by agile shuttle loops
- Aimed for schedule reliability of above 90% once the network is fully phased in
- Seamless connections to a wide range of transportation products and logistical services
- Market-leading transit times across strategic corridors
To deliver this new network we have entered a long-term operational collaboration with
Hapag-Lloyd called the Gemini Cooperation. The network will be implemented in February
2025, immediately after the conclusion of the 2M Alliance.
From February 2025, the scope of the new network will be East-West with a total of 58
services and around 6,000 port-to-port combinations.
Full scope of our new cooperation will cover the following East West trades:
- Asia – North Europe
- Asia – Mediterranean
- Middle East – Europe
- Middle East, India - Mediterranean
- Asia – Middle East
- Asia – US East Coast
- Asia – US West Coast
- Transatlantic
To meet our goal of improving service quality and reliability, our new network design will consist
of:
- A robust mainliner network supplemented by agile shuttle loops
- Loops with fewer port calls to limit the potential for disruption
- Simplified vessel operator structures with either Maersk or Hapag-Lloyd as the sole
operator on most mainliner services
- Higher share of calls through APM Terminal facilities, which offer market-leading
productivity, reliability, and connectivity.
Our aim with this network is to offer market competitive transit times across strategic
corridors. We will also meet our customers capacity needs, while increasing our ability to adjust
and grow this capacity to meet demand fluctuations.
The decision on CBER has no impact on our new network. As the European Commission has
stated, the expiry of the block exemption does not mean that cooperation between shipping
lines becomes unlawful under EU antitrust rules. As of April 2024, all operational agreements
follow the same rules as those of other cooperations in other industries, which means that we
will self-assess.
There are several elements that will define this new partnership and network, namely industryleading
reliability, geographical reach, and speed to market. It will also offer our customers
easier access to Maersk’s wider range of transportation products and logistical services.
Importantly, it will be designed to support our decarbonisation journey and ambition to reach
net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
Additionally, this new network will allow for more optionality, allowing you to better plan your
supply chain moves with routing options that give you more speed and reliability.
This partnership and new network does not aim to increase costs. We will continue to set prices
independently at competitive levels in line with the value our products and services provide to
our customers.
This new network will make it easier for customers to access Maersk’s wider range of
transportation products and logistical services, including landside connections.
For the most part, customers will experience improved landside connections.
In the event of any changes to landside connections, we will ensure we give customers as much
notice as is reasonably possible.
The network is designed to achieve above 90% schedule reliability once fully phased in through:
- Commitments on quality transportation
- Loops with fewer port calls to limit the potential disruptions
- Simplified vessel operator structures with Maersk or Hapag as the sole operator on
most mainliner services, reducing operating complexity
- Higher share of calls through the APM Terminals’ hubs, which provide market leading
productivity, reliability and connectivity
Maersk has made and continues to make strategic investments to make sure this new network
delivers on reliability, flexibility, and sustainability. We are carefully planning and testing the
new network to ensure it is successfully implemented from February 2025. We will also work closely with Hapag-Lloyd to ensure our operational collaboration supports the network’s
success.
Our future network is being designed with sustainability front of mind. We will ensure it
continues to support our goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Not only
that, but we want to make sure that the network enables our customers to achieve their own
sustainability goals. As part of our future network, our customers will have access to our
greener solutions, including EcoDelivery, greener fuel solutions, consultancy and more, helping
them progress on their own sustainability goals.
Maersk’s partnership with Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd is an ideal partner for Maersk. We are like-minded companies with a shared
ambition and commitment to quality. Together, our goal is to deliver a network with premium
reliability and efficiency.
Our asset bases in vessels and terminals are complementary and give us the right scale to meet
our customers’ needs, with the space for growth.
We are also aligned on sustainability and share a commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse
gas emissions, by 2040 for Maersk and 2045 for Hapag-Lloyd.
One of the reasons we have chosen to partner with Hapag-Lloyd, is our alignment on ESG
(environmental, social, and governance) objectives.
Maersk is committed to achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2040 and Hapag-Lloyd
has the same ambition for 2045. We are equally committed to embedding decarbonisation into
our new network, and ensuring it helps us progress towards our respective decarbonisation goals.
We also want to support our customers in progressing on their decarbonisation targets. As part of
our future network, our customers will continue to have access to our lower GHG emissions solutions,
including ECO Delivery, consultancy and more.
The conclusion of the 2M Alliance
Our service to customers will continue along existing agreements until the 2M Alliance
concludes at the end of January 2025. MSC remains a valuable partner and we look forward to
continued collaboration for the remainder of the 2M Alliance, followed by a smooth transition
to the new network.
The transition to a new network is being carefully planned and we will endeavour to make it as
simple and smooth as possible for our customers.
2M has helped us to serve our customers since it was introduced in 2015. Operating conditions
and our customers’ needs have changed significantly over that time. Our new network design will
be optimised to meet the needs of our customers - from February 2025 and into the future. The
goal is to offer industry-leading reliability, geographical reach, and speed to market. At the same
time, we will continue meet our customers’ capacity needs and progress on our decarbonisation
ambitions.