The Gemini Alliance was founded and implemented by Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk. The aim of the cooperation between the maritime transport operators is to provide a fast, flexible, and interconnected ocean network with a reliability of over 90 per cent (after full implementation). All ships are expected to operate according to the new schedule by June 2025, Hapag-Lloyd said in an official statement.
“The launch of the new network is a great opportunity for all of us. With our targeted schedule reliability, we will be able to meet one of our customers’ most important needs even better and set a new quality standard in the industry,” explains Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd.
The Gemini Alliance is also expected to set new industry standards for sustainability and accelerate companies’ ongoing decarbonisation efforts, operators said.
“Thanks to our efficient hub and spoke operating system, we can deploy larger vessels and thus simultaneously optimise speed, reduce idle time and therefore reduce carbon dioxide emissions. All this saves our customers a lot of time and resources,” adds Habben Jansen.
As announced in October 2024, the Gemini network will use the Cape of Good Hope route. The partners will continue to closely monitor and analyse the latest developments and their impact on the security situation in the Red Sea, and will only return to the waters when it is safe to do so.
The Gemini Cooperation will cover seven trade routes, 340 ships with a total capacity of 3.7 million TEU, and a total of 57 services, including 29 main ocean routes. These routes will be complemented by a network of feeder ships (shuttle services): 14 in Europe, 4 in the Middle East, 13 in Asia, and 1 in the Gulf of Mexico.
Recall that Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk signed an agreement on a new, long-term operational cooperation under the name “Gemini Cooperative” in January last year. At that time, the cooperation scheduled for February 2025 was to cover a fleet of around 290 ships with a total capacity of 3.4 million containers (TEU).