The Gemini Cooperation container alliance, formed by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, has announced the rotations for its container ships, which will start in February 2025, following months of planning throughout early 2024. The program offers two options for the Asia-Europe connection: the Trans-Suez Network, which uses the Suez Canal route, and the Cape of Good Hope Network, an alternative designed to bypass potential disruptions in the Red Sea. In October 2024, the alliance will decide which route to prioritize based on conditions in the Red Sea at that time.
The network will consist of 27 or 29 main services, complemented by a system of 30 interregional shuttle services, resulting in a total of 57 to 59 services. The number of vessels involved will range between 300 and 340, with a carrying capacity of between 3.4 and 3.7 million TEUs. In the Mediterranean, three rotations are planned, with only one stopping at an Italian port (Genoa, through AE11). However, shuttle services will cover more Italian ports: La Spezia, Genoa, Vado Ligure, and Livorno in the western Mediterranean, and Trieste in the eastern part, with the latter being directly connected to Piraeus. This scheme will apply to both the Suez and Cape of Good Hope routes.
Equally streamlined are the connections between Asia and Atlantic Europe, with four rotations planned for ports including Hamburg, Rotterdam, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, and Felixstowe. The announced program pertains only to shared services between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, while each company will also offer individual services, including those that serve Italian ports.
