Ocean shipping conversations often blur the line between alliances and consolidation. This episode breaks down how carrier alliances function in practice, why vessel sharing can improve routing and efficiency, and how ownership changes raise very different competition concerns. Using the ongoing discussion around ZIM as context, we connect market structure, port leadership transitions, and regulatory timing to real-world supply-chain resilience.

Expanded Summary

Ocean shipping conversations often lump alliances and consolidation together—but doing so misses how the market actually functions.

In this episode of By Land and By Sea, we take a closer look at ocean carrier alliances and make a clear distinction between cooperation and ownership. Using a plain-language aviation analogy, we explain how vessel sharing can increase routing options, enable more direct services, and improve equipment utilization—sometimes benefiting shippers through better network design and operational efficiency. Alliances, when properly structured, allow carriers to share assets while still competing for cargo.

We then use the ongoing discussion around ZIM as a case study—not as breaking news, but as a lens into how ownership changes differ from alliances and why acquisitions raise fundamentally different competition concerns. Consolidation permanently reduces the number of independent decision-makers in the market, which is why these conversations draw sustained attention from regulators, ports, labor, and governments.

From there, the episode widens the aperture to leadership and governance shaping the supply chain this week:
⚓ The official announcement of Dr. Noel Hacegaba as the next CEO of the Port of Long Beach
⚓ A reflection on last week’s personal conversation with outgoing CEO Mario Cordero, and why leadership stories matter
⚓ A brief update on Senate procedural movement affecting pending FMC and MARAD nominations, and why we’re “oh so close”

Taken together, this episode is about structure—how alliances, ownership, leadership, and regulatory timing interact to shape competition and resilience across global supply chains.

🎧 Episode: A Positive Case for Ocean Alliances
👉 Listen: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast

Send us a text

Support the show

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to By Land and By Sea powered by The Maritime Professor®! If you enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe ⭐ and leave a review 📝 - it really helps others find the show.

📚 Want to go deeper? Check out our live webinars, on-demand e-courses, and our Just-in-Time Learning™ sessions -- short, plain-language lessons (30 minutes or less) built for supply chain pros who need quick clarity.

🚢 Looking for something tailored? We also provide custom corporate trainings designed to meet your team’s needs.

⚓ Learn more and explore past episodes at: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast