Zhongjin has learned that, according to the latest data from Alphaliner, the restructuring of shipping alliances has hardly altered the balance of power on the Far East to Europe routes.

In February 2025, the global container shipping market witnessed the largest scale of alliance restructuring since 2015-2017. Analysts point out that this alliance restructuring has transformed the original three major alliances (2M, Ocean Alliance, and THE Alliance) into four alliances with different strategies and market shares.

Apart from the Ocean Alliance remaining stable, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has started independently operating a brand-new network for the Far East to Northwest Europe routes; Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd initiated the "Gemini Cooperation" shipping network; and Ocean Network Express (ONE), HMM, and Yang Ming have regrouped to form the Premier Alliance.

Specifically, Alphaliner compared the market shares on the Far East to Europe routes in November 2024 and the present.

The data reveals that in November 2024, there were 528 container ships deployed on the Far East to Europe routes, with a total capacity of 7.83 million TEUs. Among these, the Far East to North Europe route accounted for 4.8 million TEUs, a 3.9% increase compared to the same period the previous year; and the Far East to the Mediterranean route reached 3 million TEUs, a 10% growth.

Overall, currently, Mediterranean Shipping Company and the other three major alliances control approximately 93.9% of the capacity on the Far East to Europe routes, compared to 93.4% in November 2024.

This indicates that aside from the major alliances, other companies hold only a 6.1% market share. Despite a 32% decrease in capacity year-on-year for non-alliance carriers, ZIM remains the largest non-alliance carrier on the Far East to Europe routes, with a market share of around 1.1%. Meanwhile, Tailwind, a subsidiary of Lidl, holds a 0.4% market share.

Alphaliner notes that while Mediterranean Shipping Company, Gemini Cooperation, the Ocean Alliance, and Premier Alliance dominate, non-alliance carriers have shown remarkable resilience, constituting a persistent niche market.

Alphaliner's data shows that the restart of the Ocean Alliance NEU3 has increased vessel numbers to 12, raising its market share from 31.4% in November 2024 to 32.3%.

Currently, Mediterranean Shipping Company is the largest independent player on the Far East to Europe routes, with a capacity of 1.78 million TEUs and a market share of 22.7%.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd's Gemini Cooperation network holds a market share of around 22.2% on the Far East to Europe routes.