The Intra-Asia Race: Maersk Accelerates to Close in on COSCO, Reshaping the World's Largest Market

Boosted by its Gemini Cooperation, Maersk has sharply increased its capacity on Intra-Asia routes, rising to the number two spot and significantly narrowing the gap with the leading carrier, COSCO, in the world's largest container market.

Maersk-vessel

Maersk container vessel (Photo: Maersk)

Maersk has expanded its capacity on Intra-Asia routes by approximately 100,000 TEU over the past year, closing in on China's COSCO. According to data from Alphaliner, this growth has propelled the Danish carrier to become the second-largest operator in the world's most dynamic container market.

Alphaliner's figures show that Maersk is now only a small margin behind COSCO in terms of deployed slots on Intra-Asia routes. Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk's partner in the Gemini Cooperation, has also recorded rapid growth, nearly doubling its capacity in the region compared to August 2024.

Alphaliner explained in its latest weekly report: “The main driver for the significant growth of both carriers is the formation of the Gemini Alliance, which has seen them operate significantly more regional feeder routes in Asia to serve their hub-and-spoke model.”

The Gemini Cooperation: The "Key" to Growth

Launched in February 2025, the Gemini Cooperation is a consolidation of the Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd fleets. The alliance currently operates around 340 vessels with a total capacity of 3.7 million TEU and has quickly achieved schedule reliability of over 90% in key markets.

In April, Maersk reported that 75% of its new East-West network had been deployed, with services in the Asia-Pacific operating at up to 94% reliability. In Europe, the Gemini network is also outperforming, recording 92% reliability on all port calls in June and July 2025, in stark contrast to the industry-wide average of just 65.2% (according to Sea-Intelligence data).

Competitive Landscape and Market Outlook

Top 20 Largest Shipping Lines on Intra-Asia Routes (Source: Alphaliner)

COSCO remains the largest player on Intra-Asia routes, but Maersk has emerged as its closest competitor. This rivalry reflects the strategic importance of the Intra-Asia market, which analysts describe as the single largest container trade, surpassing both the Transpacific and Asia-Europe routes.

The fleet expansion under the Gemini alliance has also been shaped by external pressures, particularly the disruptions in the Red Sea. The flexibility to deploy additional vessels has allowed the alliance to both solidify its schedules and grow its capacity in Asia.

In a market update, Maersk said it expects export volumes to recover in September 2025. However, the carrier also warned that new U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, and Indian exports could affect demand for commodities such as textiles, jewelry, and chemicals.

With regional demand forecast to continue rising as India strengthens its manufacturing role and ASEAN economies outpace global growth, the Intra-Asia market is certain to remain a centerpiece of container shipping strategies.

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