Fog Starts To Clear On Carrier Alliance Reshuffle

The carrier alliance packs are shuffling ahead of 2025, but it looks as though The Ocean Alliance are set to "stick" following a recent announcement.

This week, members of The Ocean Alliance - CMA CGM, Cosco, OOCL and Evergreen - advised that the vessel-sharing agreement has been extended until 2032, which puts to bed rumours that one of the partners could be filling the hole left by Hapag Lloyd in the THE Alliance (THEA).

Last month, Maersk and Hapag Lloyd shocked everybody when confirming the formation of their Gemini Cooperation from next year. The news surprised many because it seemed to conflict with what Maersk had been communicating and more notably Hapag Lloyd are existing members of THEA.

This week's Ocean Alliance announcement appears to have settled the direction of the leading carriers, leaving THEA one major member short. It remains to be seen whether partners ONE, Yang Ming and HMM will be looking to add a new member, although Taiwanese carrier Wan Hai Lines, the world's 11th largest carrier by volume, have been touted as a potential addition.

2025 will see the biggest reshuffle of carrier alliances in almost a decade, which was originally instigated last year when Maersk and MSC confirmed they would be bringing an end to their 2M alliance vessel sharing agreement.

As ever, the team at Croft Cargo are monitoring developments.

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