Maersk and MSC to terminate 2M alliance in 2025

Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) have come to a mutual agreement not to renew their current 2M alliance when it comes to an end in January 2025.

The 10-year agreement was initiated in 2015, facilitating vessel-sharing between the two container ship operators on a number of transatlantic and transpacific trade routes, as well as routes between Europe and Asia.

When the alliance was created, MSC was the smaller of the two companies. This, according to Alphaliner, changed in 2022 when MSC overtook Maersk as the biggest shipping company in the world. As of 25 January 2023, MSC operates 17.6% of the industry’s container ships while Maersk has 15 fewer vessels and a share of 16.1%.

In a joint statement, the Chief Executives of Maersk and MSC, Vincent Clerk and Soren Toft respectively, said: “MSC and Maersk recognise that much has changed since the two companies signed the 10-year agreement in 2015. Discontinuing the 2M alliance paves the way for both companies to continue to pursue their individual strategies.

“We have very much appreciated the partnership and look forward to a continued strong collaboration throughout the remainder of the agreement period. We remain fully committed to delivering on the 2M alliance’s services to customers of MSC and Maersk.”

Both companies are keen to stress that this announcement will have ‘no immediate impact on the services provided to customers using the 2M trades’.

Source: logisticsmanager.com