Last week, global shipping lines announced their schedules for February next year, revealing major shifts as old agreements end and new partnerships form. One notable change is that Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), which has been expanding its fleet rapidly and initially planned to go solo after its 2M partnership with Maersk ends, will instead team up with other carriers. MSC has secured a three-year slot-sharing deal with Israeli carrier ZIM for Asia-US East Coast routes and will also provide slots to the new Premier Alliance, which includes ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming, for their Asia-Europe services. According to Sea-Intelligence, MSC’s solo services will rise from 48% to 61% in early 2025, while its slot-sharing agreements will more than double, increasing from 10% to 26%. This shows that even with its significant fleet growth, MSC is still heavily investing in collaborative slot-sharing arrangements. Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk are launching their new Gemini Cooperation in February, and the Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, and OOCL) will continue its vessel-sharing arrangement until March 2032.