Alphaliner’s figures show that Maersk now trails COSCO by only a small margin in terms of slots deployed on intra-Asia routes. Maersk’s Gemini Cooperation partner Hapag-Lloyd also saw rapid growth, nearly doubling its August 2024 capacity in the region.
“The main driver for the substantial growth of both carriers is the formation of the Gemini Cooperation, which saw the lines operate significantly more regional shuttles in Asia, to cater to its hub-and-spoke concept,” Alphaliner explained in its latest weekly report.
Gemini Cooperation fuels vessel growth
Launched in February 2025, the Gemini Cooperation pools the fleets of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. According to Hapag-Lloyd, the alliance now operates around 340 vessels with a combined capacity of 3.7 million TEU, and has already achieved schedule reliability above 90% in key markets.
Maersk reported in April that 75% of its new East–West network was already implemented, and that Asia-Pacific services were operating at 94% reliability. The hub-and-spoke design and a series of additional regional shuttles have underpinned both Maersk’s and Hapag-Lloyd’s capacity increases in intra-Asia.
According to Maersk’s latest Europe Market Update, the Gemini network is also outperforming in Europe, recording 92% reliability across all arrivals in June and July 2025. This contrasts with the global industry average of just 65.2%, based on Sea-Intelligence figures. Maersk noted that the strong reliability helped offset port congestion and weather disruptions across northern and southern Europe.
COSCO still leads, but Maersk narrows the gap
COSCO remains the largest player in intra-Asia, while Maersk has emerged as its closest rival. Globally, Maersk is ranked second by fleet capacity with 4.54 million TEU, compared with COSCO’s 3.35 million TEU as of March 2025, Alphaliner data shows.
The competition reflects the strategic importance of intra-Asia trades, which connect China, Japan, Korea, ASEAN nations, and the Indian subcontinent. Analysts describe the region as the single largest container shipping market, surpassing both the transpacific and Asia–Europe trades.
In its European update, Maersk said it expects export volumes to rebound in September 2025, helped by the recent US–EU trade agreement and sustained demand for vehicles, machinery and pharmaceuticals.
Operational adjustments are also under way: German ports will switch to a secure release order system on 1 October, while congestion and rail works in Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Koper may disrupt flows in the short term.
Red Sea disruptions shape alliance strategy
The fleet expansion under Gemini has also been shaped by external pressures. Last year, Reuters reported that Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd would deploy additional vessels to their alliance if Red Sea disruptions persisted. That flexibility has allowed the carriers to reinforce schedules while growing capacity in Asia.
With regional demand expected to rise further as India strengthens its manufacturing role and ASEAN economies outpace global growth, the intra-Asia market is set to remain the focal point of container shipping strategies.
From 28 August 2025, Maersk will reroute its ME2 westbound service at Colombo, shifting from Colombo International Container Terminal to Colombo West International Terminal, while eastbound calls remain unchanged.
At the same time, the company warned that new US tariffs on steel, aluminium and Indian exports could hit demand for goods such as textiles, jewellery and chemicals, requiring shippers to adapt pricing and diversify markets.
