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Ahead of the dissolution of a vessel-sharing agreement between the world’s two largest shipping companies, JaxPort announced that it had established new and enhanced partnerships with leading ocean carriers.
The changes were prompted by the upcoming end of the 2M Alliance, an agreement between Maersk and the Mediterranean Shipping Co. that expires this month.
According to a news release from JaxPort, the port prepared by developing new agreements that will result in new and modified service routes through Jacksonville.
The release said those routes would “provide expanded global connectivity and access to new and emerging markets” for JaxPort.
The three main changes that will take place in February 2025 are:
• The Gemini Cooperation, an alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, has added JaxPort to a new, direct service calling on Cartagena, Colombia. This connects Jacksonville to South American markets along with the global Gemini network, which includes ports in Asia, Central America, Oceania, the Caribbean and Europe.
• JaxPort remains partnered with the Mediterranean Shipping Company and Zim Line, providing service between Asia and JaxPort. Those companies’ enhanced Emerald/E-Commerce Express service will create new connections for JaxPort in Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, plus Cartagena, Colombia, and Singapore.
• Through an agreement with the Premier Alliance, JaxPort will retain connections to Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand and Canada. Ocean Network Express, a partner in the alliance, recently announced that JaxPort would be part of its EC2 service calling ports in Northeast Asia, South Korea and Panama. In 2024, JaxPort became part of ONE’s West India North America service, with connections in India and Pakistan.
The dissolution of the 2M Alliance caused a reshuffling of agreements between carriers, which sought new partnerships in what JaxPort Chief Commercial Officer Robert Peek called a game of “ocean carrier musical chairs.” In a presentation to the JaxPort board in September 2024, Peek called the dissolution of the 2M Alliance the catalyst for “the single most significant change in the global containers industry in 10 years.”
In the JaxPort release, CEO Eric Green says the carriers’ decisions to maintain and expand their routes through Jacksonville “underscores the port’s position as a critical global gateway offering shippers seamless access to key markets worldwide.”
“The enhanced global connectivity offered by these new partnerships will benefit a wide range of industries, including automotive, retail, and manufacturing,” he said.