Management consultants from Alix Partners suggested that the company should aim to conclude a ship-sharing agreement with the Mediterranean Shipping Alliance Company (MSC), the world’s largest container company. Airlines groups around the world are preparing for major restructuring early next year. MSC will part ways with Maersk next year in the 2M group on key east-west routes, with Maersk recently poaching Hapag-Lloyd from THE Alliance to form the Gemini partnership in February next year, with MSC going it alone. To end speculation about liner departures, members of the third global group, the Ocean Alliance, pledged late last month to continue cooperating until 2032, including HMM, Yangming, and Ocean Network Express (ONE). Only the smallest group remained in the Alliance.
Ocean Alliance
“The somewhat surprising announcement by the Ocean Alliance to continue cooperation until 2032 requires a change in strategy for the remaining members of THE Alliance, or the possibility of a ship-sharing agreement between THE Alliance and MSC.” suggested AlixPartners, adding: Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben-Janssen said in this week’s TPM: At the annual Container Shipping Mega Summit in Long Beach, it was announced that Gemini Corporation will remain an exclusive club between his company and Maersk. Jeremy Nixon, the CEO of ONE, said at the same event that the company will be able to offer its networking solutions better this year than next year. Mr. Nixon told participants that a number of discussions about potential new partnerships were underway and an update would be provided early next month.
Market Speculation
Market speculation suggests that Wanghai may join the Alliance, but Lars Jensen, founder of container consulting firm Vespucci Maritime, said in a recent social media post that Taiwan liner shipping is “far from filling the remaining gap ” from the Hapag exit. As for Jensen, MSC will likely proceed independently. “They have scale, and the flexibility that comes from not having to compromise with partners is certainly valuable,” he said. AlixPartners, in his new 10-page report on liner shipping, says: “The fluctuating nature of shipping partnerships that characterize the industry will put counter pressure on tariff increases, he claimed.
