Maersk Line has announced sweeping changes in the port coverage from Asia to North Europe, where it will focus on Felixstowe and Le Havre, and from Asia to the Mediterranean, where it is entering two new vessel-sharing agreements with CMA CGM, starting in mid-May.
The changes will not cut capacity but are designed instead to reduce costs by nailing down volume discounts at the two north Europe ports and by sharing larger and more economic vessels with CMA CGM.
The Danish carrier recently signed a new long-term agreement with the Port of Felixstowe that gives it discounts based on guaranteed volumes, said Philip Damas, division director of Drewry Supply Chain Advisors in London.
By dropping Southampton from the rotation of its AE1 service, it will meet those volume commitments, Damas said. In addition, Felixstowe also has a new rail service that can handle high-cube containers, which Southampton “is struggling to handle.”
The carrier is also dropping calls at Le Havre by its AE1 service, and will add them instead to its AE10 service, which will make direct calls from China at the French port.
In its services to the Mediterranean, Maersk will now run the AE11 (Asia-Jeddah, Egypt, Italy, France) service in a vessel-sharing agreement with CMA-CGM. At the same time, it will introduce direct calls from Asia to Trieste and Koper on the AE12 service, also in partnership with CMA-CGM.
By entering these two new VSAs, Maersk will reduce costs and gain economies of scale by using larger vessels, Damas said.
The new AE1 rotation will be: Kobe (JP), Nagoya (JP), Shimizu (JP), Yokohama (JP, Nansha (CN), Yantian (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Felixstowe (GB), Rotterdam (NL), Hamburg (DE), Bremerhaven (DE), Salalah (OM), Nansha (CN), Da Chan Bay (CN), Ningbo (CN), Shanghai (CN), Kaohsiung (TW), Yantian (CN) and Hong Kong (HK).
The first vessel on the new westbound loop will be the Sine Maersk, departing May 5 from Yokohama. The first vessel on the eastbound loop will also be the Sine Maersk, departing June 2 from Rotterdam.
The AE6 loop from Japan, east and south China, and Malaysia to the Middle East, Spain and the western Mediterranean will add Xiamen and Salalah on the westbound leg.
The new rotation of the AE6 service will be: Yokohama (JP), Nagoya (JP), Shanghai (CN), Ningbo (CN), Xiamen (CN), Hong Kong (HK), Yantian (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Salalah (OM), Port Said (EG), Barcelona (ES), Valencia (ES), Algeciras (ES), Tangier (MA), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Yantian (CN), Hong Kong (HK)
First vessel westbound will be the Margrethe Maersk, departing May 17 from Shanghai.
The AE9 service from Thailand, Southeast Asia and Colombo to Northern Europe will swap the order of the port calls on the westbound leg to Bremerhaven and Rotterdam. It will also remove Port Said eastbound and replace Tangier with Algeciras. It will move the Port Said-Jeddah and Jeddah-Asia coverage to AE12 eastbound.
The AE9 service rotation will be: Laem Chabang (TH), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Port Kelang (MY), Colombo (LK), Zeebrugge (BE), Felixstowe (GB), Bremerhaven (DE), Rotterdam (NL), Algeciras (ES), Jeddah (SA), Colombo (LK), Port Kelang (MY), and Singapore (SG).
The AE10 service from East and South China, Southeast Asia to North Europe and Scandinavia will add Le Havre westbound and remove Port Said on the westbound leg.
The AE10 port rotation will be: Ningbo (CN), Shanghai (CN), Kaohsiung (TW), Yantian (CN), Hong Kong (HK), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Le Havre (FR), Felixstowe (GB), Zeebrugge (BE), Dunkerque (FR), Gothenburg (SE), Aarhus (DK), Bremerhaven (DE), Rotterdam (NL), Le Havre (FR), Singapore (SG), Hong Kong (HK), Kobe (JP), Nagoya (JP), Shimizu (JP), Yokohama (JP).
On the AE11 service from north, east and south China, Southeast Asia to Middle East, East Med (via Port Said), Italy and France, CMA-CGM will provide one vessel in the new rotation with nine vessels in all.
The revised rotation will add Lian Yun Gang, Chiwan, and Port Kelang eastbound and Port Said eastbound & westbound in the new rotation. It will move Busan to AE12, and Xiamen and Salalah to AE6.
The AE11 rotation will be: Lian Yun Gang (CN), Qingdao (CN), Shanghai (CN), Fuzhou (CN), Hong Kong (HK), Chiwan (CN), Yantian (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Jeddah (SA), Port Said (EG), Gioia Tauro (IT), Genoa (IT), Fos Sur Mer (FR), Gioia Tauro (IT), Damietta (EG), Port Said (EG), Salalah (OM), Port Kelang (MY), Singapore (SG).
The first vessel westbound will be the CMA CGM Cendrillon, departing May 14 from Lianyungang.
The first vessel eastbound will also be the CMA CGM Cendrillon leaving June 20 from Fos Sur Mer.
The AE12 loop from Korea, east and south China and Southeast Asia to Egypt, Trieste and Koper will provide new direct coverage between Asia and Adriatic ports.
The new AE12 rotation is: Shanghai (CN), Busan (KR), Hong Kong (HK), Chiwan (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Port Kelang (MY), Port Said (EG), Damietta (EG), Trieste (IT), Koper (SI), Damietta (EG), Port Said (EG), Jeddah (SA), Port Kelang (MY), and Singapore (SG).
The first AE12 vessel westbound will be the CMA CGM Balzac, departing May 17 from Shanghai.
The first vessel eastbound on the revised AE12 loop will also be the CMA CGM Balzac, departing June 16 from Trieste.
The Journal of Commerce Online
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