In a historic move, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and A.P. Moller – Maersk have made the bold decision to dissolve their 2M alliance, effective January 2025. The alliance, which was formed in 2015 with the goal of providing competitive and cost-efficient operations on the Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific trades, has reached its conclusion.
According to Vincent Clerc, CEO of A. P. Moller – Maersk, and Soren Toft, CEO of MSC, the decision to terminate the alliance was made in light of the significant changes that have occurred in the industry since the partnership was formed.
Despite the alliance coming to an end, both companies have emphasized that they have greatly valued the partnership and look forward to continued collaboration throughout the remainder of the agreement.
They have also assured customers that the announcement will have no immediate impact on services and that each company’s customer teams will work to support them during and after the phase-out of the 2M alliance.
The termination of the 2M alliance might have a few implications for both companies, their customers, and the shipping industry as a whole.
Some potential implications include:
- Competition: With the dissolution of the alliance, both companies will definitely compete more directly with each other on the Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific trades.
- Pricing: The end of the alliance could lead to changes in pricing for customers as the companies attempt to differentiate themselves from each other and increase market share.
- Capacity: Without the alliance, Maersk may need to increase its fleet size to maintain the same level of capacity.
- Service: The dissolution of the alliance could lead to changes in service offerings as the companies attempt to differentiate themselves and attract customers.
- Impact on other alliances: The end of the 2M alliance could have ripple effects on other shipping line alliances. Maersk will most probably will be interested in forming another alliance and as a result we will most likely observe the reshuffle of the whole service offerings.
