MV Leonidio docked at the Southampton logistics hub ahead of callings at Rotterdam, Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Saint John
DP World Southampton has welcomed its first ship arrival under the Gemini Cooperation agreement announced in November last year.
The MV Leonidio docked at the Southampton logistics hub on 3 February as part of its first rotation on the Gemini transatlantic AL1/AT3 service.
The vessel will call at the ports of Rotterdam, Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven in Northern Europe before crossing the Atlantic to dock at New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Saint John in the US and Canada.
The Gemini Cooperation was originally announced in January 2024 by shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to strengthen the reliability of their east-west shipping networks.
The cooperation is designed to reduce the number of port calls in the mainliner services and introduce a network design with the goal of improving global supply chain efficiency.
As part of its partnership with DP World, all of Gemini’s Middle East-Europe and Asia-Europe services will now be handled at London Gateway, alongside their transatlantic services at Southampton.
The first Gemini ship on the Asia-Europe service will call at London Gateway in the coming weeks.
“Our unmatched supply chain capabilities, operational reliability and connectivity demonstrate why Gemini has entrusted us with their transatlantic services at Southampton and further vital international routes at London Gateway,” said Ernst Schulze, chief executive officer for ports and terminals at DP World in the UK.
”Alongside improving the reliability and efficiency of the UK economy’s international trade links, our partnership with the Gemini Cooperation is a testament to our steadfast programme of investment to make both Southampton and London Gateway the most modern and advanced logistics hubs in Europe.
“Over the next three months, we are hosting weekly Insight Days at London Gateway so new customers can learn more about the wide range of services at the logistics hub, which boasts four deep-sea berths, a rail terminal and the UK’s largest port-adjacent logistics park,” he said.
Gary Jeffreys, managing director at Maersk UK and Ireland, said it was exciting to see the Gemini ocean network going live.
”It’s an absolute innovative network design in our ocean industry with the overall goal of delivering more robust and resilient ocean services to our customers,” he outlined.
”Logistics today must assert itself in a new environment with multiple disruptions and other challenges like geopolitical tensions or climate change,” Jeffreys continued. ”Hence, we need to apply new solutions to get schedule reliability back to the formerly known levels that our customers deserve.
”Besides using our own hub ports, we are excited to partner with terminal operators like DP World who can help us deliver the reliability.”
Cameron Bowie, managing director for Hapag-Lloyd UK and Ireland, echoed that sentiment.
“With the Gemini Cooperation network officially launched, it is great to see the first Hapag-Lloyd vessel MV Leonidio arrive in Southampton,” said Bowie.
”The AL1/AT3 service is one of 57 services in the Gemini network and highlights our commitment to optimising global shipping routes.
”Our goal is ambitious yet clear: to achieve industry-leading reliability of over 90 per cent by summer 2025,” he added.
”The success of Gemini depends on more than ships and schedules. It’s also about good and strong collaborations we have with our ports and terminals.”
