Vessel delays in transatlantic traffic

The existing shipping company alliances were restructured as of February, 1^st, 2025, which is currently leading to considerable delays in transatlantic shipping. In particular, the end of the alliance between Maersk and MSC and the formation of the new “Gemini” alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are having a far-reaching impact on the schedules and routes of all the shipping companies involved.

Overview of changes in the alliances and logistical challenges

• Maersk has ended its cooperation with MSC as an alliance on the transatlantic service and is now forming the so-called “Gemini” alliance with Hapag-Lloyd.
• Hapag-Lloyd has left “THE Alliance”, which previously consisted of Hapag-Lloyd, YangMing (YM), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and ONE. Due to the reorganization, this alliance was renamed “Premier Alliance” by the remaining shipping companies.
• New cooperation between the “Premier Alliance” and the “Ocean Alliance” was established in order to cover more trade lanes or ports.
• All shipowners now serve ports in North, Central and South America on newly combined routes and schedules.

This reorganization entailed delays – despite lengthy preparations – as the container vessels were still physically sailing in the old service lanes at the time of the restructuring. However, containers still had to be unloaded before the vessels could sail on to new ports and it had to be ensured that there were no more containers from the old partners on board. 

At the same time, container vessels were already calling at ports that served the new schedule. As a result, the terminals' capacities were and still are overloaded and the ports are forced to implement the new operational processes quickly and smoothly. This is not always possible at the moment either: strikes, crane failures, schedule delays, etc. mean that some vessels are still at the quayside that should have been handled long ago, resulting in occasional congestion. 


Operational and administrative difficulties
In addition to logistical challenges, there are also administrative coordination problems between the shipping companies. This occasionally leads to communication difficulties and overbookings that have to be corrected by rebooking, which in turn causes delays.


Forecast: easing only in summer 2025
Industry experts assume that the situation will not stabilize until summer 2025. We recommend that our customers plan longer lead times for transports and coordinate closely with us in order to compensate for delays in the best possible way. We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely so that we can exploit every opportunity to ensure that your logistics run smoothly.

For further information or individual queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. Get in touch with your EgeTrans contact person or contact us.