An analysis by Sea-Intelligence suggests that the proposed acquisition of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services by Hapag-Lloyd could substantially reshape alliance connectivity on the Transpacific trade.
The research, published in Sea-Intelligence’s Sunday Spotlight on 26 February 2026, examines how folding ZIM’s routes into the Gemini Cooperation network would extend its market reach, while potentially creating a competitive gap for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The research assumes that, following Hapag-Lloyd’s acquisition of ZIM, the carrier’s services and vessels are fully folded into the Gemini structure.
Under this scenario, the total number of distinct region-to-region services offered by Gemini on the Transpacific would increase from 32 to 41.
Unique port-to-port connections on the route would rise from 70 to 84, reflecting a meaningful expansion in origin-destination combinations available to the alliance.
According to the analysis, several previously unserved linkages would come into Gemini’s network.
Among these is direct connectivity to the Boston gateway in New England, a destination currently absent from the alliance’s portfolio.
The enlarged network would also fortify direct connections between South-Atlantic ports such as Charleston and Savannah and major Asian origins, including the Singapore Strait, Taiwan, and both North and South Vietnam.
READ: Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk boost Gemini network reliability
Sea-Intelligence highlights that embedding ZIM’s legacy routes into a hub-and-spoke design could present operational challenges.
Gemini has prioritised schedule reliability through limited direct mainline calls and extensive use of transhipment hubs.
The report notes that Gemini’s current model is designed to achieve a 90 per cent schedule reliability target by limiting direct mainline calls, which may not align with the faster transit times some ZIM shippers expect.
As Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence, observed: “To successfully integrate this newly acquired market reach, without compromising core reliability targets, Gemini will likely need to deploy a new, specialised East Coast service, potentially to New England, rather than simply adding calls to existing hub-and-spoke service loops.”
The report further suggests that, if current vessel-sharing or co-operation agreements between ZIM and MSC are not continued post-acquisition, MSC could find itself with diminished access on the Asia-US East Coast trade compared with an enlarged Gemini network.
For more information:
Sea-Intelligence – https://www.sea-intelligence.com/
