HMM, ONE, and Yang Ming form Premier Alliance

Liner majors HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Yang Ming Marine Transportation (Yang Ming) have formed the Premier Alliance, a new container shipping alliance set to become effective from February 2025. The timing aligns with the anticipated start of the Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, following the dissolution of the 2M Alliance and Hapag-Lloyd’s departure from THE Alliance.

The new alliance will be effective for five years. The cooperation is comprised of mainline services across the major East-West Tradelines: Asia – North America West Coast, Asia – North America East Coast, Asia – Mediterranean, Asia – North Europe, and Asia / Middle East.

“We believe close cooperation under Premier Alliance would provide stable and competitive service network to our customers in East-West Trade,” said Kyung Bae Kim, CEO of HMM.

“We are very pleased to announce that our strategic partnership with HMM and Yang Ming in the East-West trades will be further continued. The close network collaboration that exists between the three companies will be further strengthened and enhanced under this new collaboration starting from February 2025. Collectively this new tripartite alliance will offer strong, reliable and highly dependable end-to-end direct port container services to its customers on both the Transpacific and Asia-Europe trades,” said Jeremy Nixon, CEO of ONE.

“Through the cooperation of Premier Alliance, Yang Ming will continue to drive innovation, enhance service quality, and bring more competitive solutions to our customers. We are confident about the future and look forward to achieving even greater success together,” said Feng-Ming Tsai, Chairman of Yang Ming.

The Premier Alliance members said a comprehensive update for all services for the major trade lanes will be announced separately, including service package under the new alliance. In a separate announcement, ONE unveiled the new alliance’s Asia – Europe, Transpacific, Asia – Middle East main trade lane products, scheduled to commence in February 2025.

In addition, Premier Alliance has entered into a slot exchange cooperation with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in Asia-Europe trade. The new slot exchange cooperation will include nine services, aiming to provide more extensive direct port coverage and more frequent sailings in the Asia-North Europe and Mediterranean trade lanes. The deal basically solves the issue of providing a comprehensive Asia-Europe network after Hapag-Lloyd’s departure from THE Alliance.

“Throughout the new cooperation with MSC in Asia-Europe trade, HMM’s global network leap one step further and we can provide our customers a seamless service coverage around the globe. HMM will keep making every effort to maintain the best qualities in the market,” Bae Kim added.

Read also: Jensen: Gemini Cooperation could reshape container shipping networks