Maersk and MSC announced that they would not continue their 2M alliance once it expires in 2025. The vessel-sharing agreement, which began in 2015 and prompted a wave of consolidation in the industry, allowed the two companies to better manage capacity by pooling cargo. Although the 2M alliance has drawn scrutiny from federal regulators over potential anticompetitiveness issues, the carriers say they decided to end their agreement as they pursue individual strategies. Maersk, for example, has invested heavily to expand beyond ocean shipping and become an end-to-end supply chain provider.

Experts say that the end of 2M could lead to capacity shifts and spark other carriers to rethink their alliances. The breakup is expected to spark increased competition from ocean carriers and will have other companies rethinking their alliances. 

In the short term, this will mean increased competitive pressure between the carriers which all else equal results in rates that are lower than they otherwise would have been. Those lower rates, however, could come at the expense of more volatile service and a higher number of blank sailings. Meanwhile, other shipping lines too may be sparked to rethink their alliances after this split. 

Ending the alliance will also push Maersk to double down further on services beyond ocean shipping. Because of its size, it’s unlikely the carrier could join another ocean alliance without drawing scrutiny from regulators. Meanwhile, MSC has doubled down on ocean shipping. The company upped its capacity through new vessel orders and by aggressively raiding the second-hand and charter markets, according to a Drewry report.