The launch of Gemini Cooperation marked more than another reshuffling of container shipping alliances . By combining deep-sea services with an integrated network of regional shuttles and feeder connections, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have introduced a different operating model that could reshape how global liner networks are managed. Gemini officially began operations in February 2025 following the end of the decade-long 2M partnership between Maersk and MSC . At the same time, Hapag-Lloyd left THE Alliance, while its former partners, HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Yang Ming, formed the Premier Alliance. MSC, meanwhile, chose to continue operating independently. Gemini is more than another alliance reshuffle. According to the DynaLiners Trades Review 2026 , Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd expanded the traditional alliance model by making relay and feeder services an integral part of the network. Previously, those services mainly supported deep-sea operations. Comparison of the three major container shipping alliances in 2026 by members, deployed fleet capacity and operating model. Source: Dynamar, DynaLiners Trades Review 2026. How Gemini Cooperation differs from traditional alliances Gemini’s mainline network covers the Europe–Far East, Transpacific, Transatlantic, Europe–Middle East/Indian Subcontinent and Far East–Middle East/Indian Subcontinent trades. Dedicated regional shuttles and feeder operations support these deep-sea services across Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and the Gulf of Mexico. The network is centred on selected hub ports linked to terminals affiliated with at least one of the two partners. The report describes this level of integration as unique among today’s major alliances. Gemini is the first large-scale partnership to make relay-and-feeder operations a structural element of its network. Traditional alliances rely much more heavily on direct port calls. Between Ocean Alliance and Premier Alliance During the first half of 2026, Gem