Gemini Partners Revamp Asia-Europe/Med Services

In a move to strengthen their market coverage and product offerings, Gemini partners Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express (ONE) have unveiled revamps to five of their joint services connecting Asia with Europe and the Mediterranean. According to a statement from Hapag-Lloyd, the adjustments are being made 'to give stronger market coverage and faster products' on the trades. The changes will take effect in the coming weeks. The services impacted include: - The AL3/COSCO Shipping/OOCL service, which will see a port rotation change and the addition of a new call at Gdansk, Poland. - The AL5/OCEAN Alliance service, which will see a port rotation change and the addition of a new call at Sines, Portugal. - The AL6/OCEAN Alliance service, which will see a port rotation change and the addition of a new call at Tangier, Morocco. - The AL7/OCEAN Alliance service, which will see a port rotation change and the addition of a new call at Damietta, Egypt. - The AL8/OCEAN Alliance service, which will see a port rotation change. 'The changes will provide our customers with a stronger network and faster transit times on the Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean trades,' said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. The moves come as container shipping lines continue to optimize their global networks in response to evolving trade patterns and customer demands. Analysts say the revamps highlight the ongoing efforts by carriers to differentiate their service offerings and capture market share in these key trade lanes.