APM Terminals Lázaro Cárdenas , the concessionaire of a specialized container terminal (TEC) in the Michoacán port, celebrated on Wednesday the arrival of the first vessel operated under Gemini Cooperation , the new maritime collaboration between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd that began in February of this year.

The orchestrators of this maritime alliance seek to serve the east-west container shipping market, offering space for the transoceanic transport of containerized goods that promises scheduling reliability exceeding 90% once fully implemented.

APM Terminals Lázaro Cárdenas indicated through a press release that it plays a key role in this collaboration by implementing the Simultaneous Transshipment Connection , a pioneering operation designed to transfer containers between two vessels simultaneously, reducing waiting times and maximizing operational efficiency.

“APM Terminals is pleased to support the Gemini Partnership, as it marks the beginning of a new era in global maritime trade, improving both connectivity and efficiency across key trade routes. For our terminal in Lázaro Cárdenas, this initiative strengthens Mexico’s strategic role in global trade and positions the terminal as a key gateway for trade within the region and across the Americas,” said Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals, an independent division of A.P. Moller-Maersk, as quoted in the statement.

Gemini Cooperation consists of 29 first-class services , complemented by a network of interregional services. These routes cover critical markets such as Asia-U.S. West Coast, Asia-U.S. East Coast, Asia-Middle East, Asia-Mediterranean, and Asia-North Europe, promising improved connectivity and reduced call times per rotation, improving transit times and reliability for the market.

Beatriz Yera, CEO of APM Terminals México, stated, “The ambition of the Gemini Cooperation is to improve efficiency and reliability on east-west trade routes. Our terminal in Lázaro Cárdenas will be one of the key terminals in this initiative, and most importantly, we are the only terminal in the Mexican Pacific executing the Simultaneous Transshipment Connection operation. Our significant investments in technology and process automation put us in a unique position to contribute to the success of the Gemini Cooperation. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening our customers’ supply chains with innovation and technology, while helping to position Mexico as a leader in global logistics.”

APM Terminals’ TEC in Lázaro Cárdenas is currently in its Phase II expansion , under an investment of at least $140 million, and where it will be able to count on an additional capacity of one million 20-foot containers (TEU), to reach 2.2 million TEU of capacity across the TEC by 2026.

The port of Lázaro Cárdenas is positioned as the second most attractive maritime hub in Mexico in terms of container movement.

According to the Lázaro Cárdenas port authority, by the end of 2024, the port achieved a 29% increase in containerized cargo handling, reaching a total of 2,406,980 TEUs across all terminals, surpassing the 2023 record of 1,869,293 TEUs.

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