Vietnam's Cai Mep International Terminal accommodates first vessel for Gemini Cooperation

Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) in the southern Vietnam province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on Friday welcomed the first vessel from the WC1/TP6 service of the Gemini Cooperation, a partnership between shipping giants - Germany's Hapag-Lloyd and Denmark-based Maersk.

This marked the beginning of regular services at CMIT, with two mother vessel routes and one feeder route scheduled for operation.

Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk signed an agreement for a new long-term operational collaboration called Gemini Cooperation, which started in February 2025. The ambition is to deliver a fast, flexible, and interconnected ocean network with industry-leading reliability being its cornerstone. CMIT has been selected as the sole primary port in Vietnam for this cooperation.

CMIT’s serving as the main port for the Gemini Cooperation will be pivotal in enhancing connectivity between the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port cluster and international shipping routes. This is expected to boost both export-import volumes and logistics development, while improving port infrastructure and contributing to the domestic maritime sector's growth.

The Gemini Cooperation will involve a fleet of around 290 vessels with a total capacity of 3.4 million TEUs. Maersk will operate 60% of the fleet, while Hapag-Lloyd will manage the remaining 40%. The service will cover seven trade routes and 26 major services, including 14 services to Europe, four to the Middle East, 13 to Asia, and one to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bernadette Chan, executive director of CMIT, said that the total container throughput at the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port cluster in 2024 reached nearly 6.5 million TEUs, with a 33% growth rate. The Cai Mep-Thi Vai region remains the deep-water gateway port for southern Vietnam.

With continued support from the members of Gemini Cooperation, CMIT is optimistic about further development opportunities and expects the Cai Mep-Thi Vai area to continue to see robust growth in 2025.

Gemini Cooperation’s main objective is to achieve a schedule reliability rate exceeding 90% once the network is fully operational. To support customers in achieving this goal, high operational efficiency and safe handling at deep-water ports are critical, she said.

Industry experts predict that such alliances will increase direct routes to the U.S. from Cai Mep-Thi Vai, as more direct services are added. With the advantage of deep-water ports, Cai Mep-Thi Vai is set to become a more attractive destination if new alliances focus on the Asia-Europe trade route. This is a positive signal for the port’s future.

Over its more than 14 years of operation, CMIT has been a leader in introducing new developments to the Cai Mep-Thi Vai deep-water port cluster. It has successfully accommodated some of the largest vessels in the world, with a notable milestone being the successful trial reception of a 194,000 DWT vessel in 2017, followed by a 214,000 DWT vessel in 2020.

CMIT is now one of the few ports globally capable of handling such large vessels. This capability has been key in enabling the Ministry of Transport and Vietnam Maritime Administration to grant approval for other deep-water ports in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai area to accommodate similarly large ships.