DP World London Gateway has received its first vessel under the new agreement with the Gemini Cooperation, a partnership between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.
Maersk Stadelhorn is the first ship to call at London Gateway as part of this agreement. The vessel is deployed on Gemini’s ME2 / IEX India-Europe service, departing the UK for ports including Hamburg, Tanger Med, Colombo, Kamarajar, Algeciras, and Rotterdam.
The Gemini Cooperation initially achieved an industry-leading 90% service reliability target in its first month of operation, enhancing the efficiency of East-West shipping routes. However, in recent weeks, the alliance has fallen below this level.
Once fully established, Gemini will operate 57 services worldwide with a total TEU capacity of up to 3.7 million, representing nearly 12% of global container shipping capacity. Vessels will call at both DP World’s UK deep-sea container ports—Southampton and London Gateway. The start of Gemini services at London Gateway was celebrated earlier this week by senior executives from DP World and Maersk.
Ernst Schulze, DP World Ports & Terminals Lead for Northern Europe, commented: “The arrival of the Maersk Stadelhorn is a testament to the Gemini Cooperation’s confidence in DP World’s UK container terminals and global supply chain solutions network. The Asia-Europe service will enhance vital international trade routes at London Gateway, advancing our ambition to make the logistics hub the UK’s largest container port within the next five years.”
Gary Jeffreys, Managing Director – Maersk UK & Ireland, stated: “It is fantastic to witness our new network brought to life in the UK. London Gateway will play a key role in our service to our customers, as we unlock the benefits of a reliable, flexible and a more agile Ocean network better adjusted to the needs of the supply chains of the future.”
This milestone follows DP World Southampton’s first Gemini Cooperation vessel call on 3 February. The boxship Leonidio, operating on the new Transatlantic AL1 / AT3 service, departed Southampton for Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Wilhelmshaven in Northern Europe before heading across the Atlantic to ports in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Saint John in the US and Canada.
Cameron Bowie, Managing Director – Hapag-Lloyd UK & Ireland, said: “The Middle East and India trade has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years and Hapag-Lloyd is proud to have been a leader in its expansion through investment and the introduction of vessels with greater market coverage and carrying capacity. Our IOS and IEX services on this trade have used London Gateway for the past 10 years and I am delighted that the new Gemini Cooperation will continue to call at London Gateway and further strengthen the strong operational partnership with DP World.”
