In a major development in the global container shipping industry, two shipping giants — Denmark’s Maersk A/S (Maersk) and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd AG (Hapag-Lloyd) — will launch their operational collaboration Gemini Cooperation from February 1. Both companies have a strong presence in India.
After Gemini Cooperation was announced in January 2024, Hapag-Lloyd left THE Alliance in January 2025. In January 2023, Maersk and MSC announced that the 2M alliance will be launched in January 2025.
In the Gemini Cooperation, around 340 vessels (60 per cent of Maersk and 40 per cent of Hapag-Lloyd) will be phased in to Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd’s shared ocean network. The first sailings will be on February 1, and more vessels will gradually sail on the new schedules.
The first vessel in the new cooperation will sail from Tokyo to Shanghai. For India, the first call from Gemini will be at Adani Katupalli terminal in Ennore, North Chennai, on February 8, said a company official.
“We are now ready to commence the phase-in of the new network. Over the last year, we have carefully planned this to ensure that all our customers experience a smooth transition into the new network. With its innovative design, we believe our customers will benefit from increased reliability, flexibility and more competitive products,” says Johan Sigsgaard, Chief Product Officer of Ocean at Maersk.
The transition period is expected to last until late May, with vessels phasing into the new network and out of the expiring agreements that Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have with other carriers. June will be the first month in which the network would be fully phased-in with all vessels sailing on Gemini schedule.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd’s shared network covers East/West trades and will consist of 29 ocean mainliner services supported by a network of 28 intraregional shuttle services.
Hapag-Lloyd said that by June 2025, all vessels are expected to operate according to the new schedule.
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, said, “Together with our operating partner Maersk, we are focused on delivering on our 90 per cent schedule reliability promise.”
As announced in October 2024, the Gemini network will re-route via the Cape of Good Hope given the geopolitical crisis affecting movement in the Red Sea.
Key facts about the Gemini Cooperation network
Hub & spoke network
57 services
3.7 million TEU capacity
Around 340 vessels
29 mainliners
28 inter-regional shuttles (Europe: 13; Asia: 10; Middle East: 4; Americas: 1)
