The new shipping networks, set to launch in February 2025, have been announced. At the same time, new alliances and collaborations between shipping companies have been formed. This results in slightly more weekly services than currently available, providing shippers with more options.
The new alliance that has been announced is called the Premier Alliance. Essentially, this is a rebranding of THE Alliance, which now consists of ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming, following Hapag-Lloyd's departure from the alliance. Hapag-Lloyd has joined the Gemini Alliance, along with Maersk.
MSC has clearly stated that they will operate independently of alliances. However, as expected, this does not exclude the possibility of flexible collaborations with other shipping companies. On the Asia-Europe route, they are working with the Premier Alliance through a so-called slot swap, where they exchange space on each other's vessels. This applies to nine services. In addition, MSC independently offers four extra services on this route, while the Premier Alliance operates one service that they do not share with MSC.
There are further nuances when we examine the network in detail. The Premier Alliance operates its FP1 service directly from Japan to Europe, without sharing it with MSC. In addition, the Premier Alliance has the FN2 service, which MSC refers to as the 'Griffin' service. This service also connects Japan directly with Europe, but MSC only has slots from Chinese ports, not from Japan. This means that despite the collaboration, the Premier Alliance has retained a unique advantage on the Japan-Europe route.
Navigating new waters with targeted routes and strategic collaborations
Similarly, one can examine the service referred to by MSC as 'Swan' and by the Premier Alliance as 'FE6'. This route connects Asia with Northern Europe, directly calling at both Århus and Gothenburg. Despite the collaboration, only MSC holds slots for these destinations in Scandinavia, not the Premier Alliance. As a result, MSC enjoys an exclusive advantage on this route within the partnership.
MSC and Zim have entered a partnership for joint sailings between Asia and the East Coast of the United States, offering six services together. However, for the routes from Asia to the West Coast of the United States, both shipping lines operate their own networks without sharing capacity with each other.
MSC has announced two different versions of their network. The first version is designed for the scenario where they need to sail via the route around Africa, while the second version will come into effect once the Suez route becomes available again. The Suez route offers greater vessel capacity, resulting in a network with more direct port calls and thus more efficient connections.
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have announced their 2025 network within the Gemini Alliance. The original network, presented in 2024, has been slightly adjusted and is based on an open Suez route. Additionally, both shipping lines have prepared an alternative network for the scenario where they may need to sail via the African route in February 2025. This demonstrates their flexibility and ability to anticipate potential changes in sailing routes.
The Gemini Alliance continues to adhere to their concept of fewer direct port calls, combined with regional shuttle services via terminals they manage themselves. Their network via the African route includes two fewer services than the Suez-route network. According to the alliance, this is a deliberate decision to create sufficient buffer in the African network to meet their goal of 90% on-time performance.
The network presented by Maersk, when sailing around Africa, utilizes 40 more vessels than the Suez-route network. This difference clearly highlights how much additional capacity the crisis in the Red Sea is absorbing from the market. It illustrates the extent to which disruptions to usual routes are impacting vessel capacity, and how shipping lines are anticipating this with extra resources.
Future strategies present challenges and create new opportunities
The Ocean Alliance will continue operating in its current form for the time being and has not yet announced its network for 2025. If they maintain their current network unchanged, this will result in an increase in the number of available services on the market. From Asia to Europe, 2 to 3 additional weekly services are expected, depending on the situation regarding the Red Sea crisis. A similar increase is anticipated on routes between Asia and North America.
Overall, the new networks are introducing greater variety in the service concepts employed by shipping lines. Additionally, the number of services is increasing, signaling more intense competition from 2025 onwards. With more options for shippers and different strategies from shipping lines, the market is becoming more dynamic and competitive.
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