Denmark's Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd are launching Gemini, their future alliance, which will take effect in February 2025. Priority in terms of activities will be given to hubs where they have their own terminals, such as the port of Tangier Med. 

Denmark's Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd announce a major alliance. Named Gemini Corporation, the new entity will come into effect in February 2025 and will comprise a fleet of around 290 vessels with a combined capacity of 3.4 million containers.

The two shipping giants are aiming for more than 90% reliability in terms of lead times, and are counting on transshipment hubs where they have their own terminals.

Only one African port will be favored for this purpose, and that will be Tanger Med. "The Maersk group, through its subsidiary APM Terminals, owns two of the four terminals there, and Hapag-Lloyd has a 10% stake in a third. Around these three terminals, Gemini will build a hub-and-spoke network serving the Mediterranean, West African ports and even Europe. For example, the French port of Le Havre, currently home to Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd general cargo vessels, will be partly connected to the world via Tanger Med," explains Challenge.

"Since last December, we have seen the emergence of a new port order crystallizing around Morocco and West Africa, as a consequence of the disruptions in the Red Sea, forcing ships to divert via the Cape of Good Hope," explains Najib Cherfaoui, a maritime expert quoted by the weekly.

As a result, the world's major shipping lines are focusing on the African route, strengthening their foothold on the African continent's total containerized capacity of 57 million TEUs. Gemini, for example, has secured a capacity of 30 million boxes [Maersk (25 million) and Hapag (5 million)], MSC (16 million) and CMA CGM (11 million).

For the expert, it is becoming clear that Gemini has the chance to rediscover the Kingdom's precious maritime resources through the "quite providential" options offered by the Moroccan ports of Tangiers, Casablanca and, soon, Dakhla Atlantique.

Nabil Ouzzane