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The
2M alliance was introduced in 2015 to cope with a glut of ships
and weak demand, and to ensure competitive and cost-efficient
operations on main shipping routes from Asia to Europe, as well
as across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Both companies saw the alliance as a way to manage more capacity
after purchasing new mega-ships.
More recently, MSC responded to rising shipping rates caused by
pandemic-related delays and bottlenecks by increasing the size
of its fleet, while Maersk has kept its fleet size mostly
steady.
"Today, we have a much different strategy, where we more look at
how to integrate container shipping at sea with our land-based
logistics business," Maersk's head of ocean shipping Johan
Sigsgaard told Reuters in an interview.
"Operating our own network gives us more flexibility and allows
us to connect our ships exactly where we want," he said.
Maersk expects to be able to deliver ocean shipping at the same
scale when the partnership with MSC ends without rising the cost
of moving each container at sea, Sigsgaard said.
Shares in the company fell after the announcement and were
trading 3.6% lower at 1103 GMT.
MSC said in a statement that "we continue to strengthen and
modernize our fleet, providing us with the scale we need for the
most comprehensive ocean and short-sea shipping network in the
market."
MSC, privately owned by the Aponte family, overtook Maersk as
the world's biggest container in 2021. Both companies hold
market share of around 17%.
"We have been fighting fiercely over customers and market share
the last eight years. I don't see increased competition as a
result of this," Sigsgaard said.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Jason Neely
and Mark Potter)
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