Gwangyang Port Secures Gemini Alliance’s Main Europe-Bound Route

Securing a Mainline Direct Service, Not Just a Shuttle
A Transshipment Hub Connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority (YGPA), led by Acting President Hwang Hakbeom, announced on September 10 that Gwangyang Port has become the only domestic port included in the Europe-bound main route (AE15 Maersk/SE3 Hapag-Lloyd) of the Gemini Alliance.

This achievement marks the first time that Gemini’s Europe-bound service will call at a Korean port as a mainline direct route, rather than as a shuttle service, which is particularly significant.

A panoramic view of Gwangyang Port container terminal.

The Gemini Alliance is the world’s largest shipping alliance, formed by Maersk, which accounts for 14.1% of global shipping capacity, and Hapag-Lloyd, which holds 7.3%. In February, Gemini launched seven main Asia-Europe routes, but Korean ports had only been included as part of shuttle services.

In response, the authority has actively pursued port sales since last year to attract Gemini’s mainline routes. They visited overseas operation headquarters in Shanghai, Singapore, and other locations to deliver presentations, and invited stakeholders to Korea. As a result of this year-long targeted marketing, they succeeded in securing the Asia-Europe mainline service.

The newly secured long-haul route adds Gwangyang Port to a rotation served by 15 vessels of 13,000 TEU class, calling at Gwangyang-Ningbo (China)-Tanjung Pelepas (Malaysia)-Port Said (Egypt)-Canakkale (Turkey)-Izmit-Ambarli-Canakkale-Port Said-Singapore-Qingdao (China)-Gwangyang.

Now, domestic shippers can directly access major Mediterranean ports from Gwangyang Port, without having to transship at ports such as Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia.

Currently, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd operate global routes through Gwangyang Port, including to Central and South America (AC3), Africa (FEW3), and Southeast Asia (HP2, A5 shuttle services). With the addition of direct Europe-bound service, Gwangyang Port has become a transshipment network hub for Gemini, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Hong Sangpyo, Executive Vice President of Operations, stated, "With the attraction of this long-haul route, Gwangyang Port will be directly connected to Egypt and T?rkiye, greatly strengthening its role as an international transshipment hub. We will continue to actively attract new routes throughout the remainder of this year to further increase cargo volume."

Meanwhile, to commemorate the inclusion of Gemini Alliance’s route, the authority plans to hold welcome ceremonies for the first arriving vessels of each shipping company on September 16 and 23, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.