Latest Ocean Freight Container Alliance Plots a Course for the Future

WORLDWIDE – After the OCEAN Alliance last week announced its proposed port rotation, the members of the THE Alliance have released details for its planned network offering starting from April 2017. Subject to completion of all relevant regulatory requirements, the THE Alliance, which is made up of Hapag-Lloyd, K Line, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Yang Ming, plans to deploy a fleet of more than 240 vessels in the Asia/Europe, North Atlantic, and Trans-Pacific trade lanes including the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf/Red Sea.

After last month’s announcement that the three Japanese lines (K Line, MOL and NYK) are to form one single container carrying entity next year, and with doubts over the future of Yang Ming, a company many would not be surprised to see formally tie up with one or both of its fellow Taiwan box groups, Evergreen and Wan Hai, the future of THE Alliance, as formed at the moment, could itself be in doubt. The comprehensive network of its 31 services is scheduled to connect more than 75 major ports throughout Asia, North Europe, the Mediterranean, North America, Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Indian Sub-Continent and the Middle East.

The product of THE Alliance will feature eight services in the Asia/Europe trade including three services covering the Mediterranean market. One dedicated service will cater for customers in the Middle East, connecting the key ports of China, South Korea and South East Asia with Dammam, Jubail and an Arabian Gulf hub port. 16 joint services will be operated by THE Alliance members on the Trans Pacific trade. Six loops will serve the North Atlantic trade covering a wide range of North European and Mediterranean ports as well as those in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The service network of THE Alliance is expected to cover more than 24 ports in Asia including ten Chinese and five Japanese ports with direct calls as well as 20 ports in the US and Canada, six North European and 13 Mediterranean ports, six ports in the Middle East and six ports in Central America/Caribbean.

The base-plan port rotations of the total 31 services will be as follows:

Asia and North Europe

FE 1:
Kobe – Nagoya – Shimizu – Tokyo – South East Asia Hub – Jeddah – Rotterdam – Hamburg – UK – Le Havre – South East Asia Hub – Kobe

FE 2:
Xingang – Dalian – Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – South China/Hong Kong – South East Asia Hub – West Med Hub – UK – Hamburg – Rotterdam – Le Havre – West Med Hub – Arabian Gulf Hub – South China/Hong Kong – Qingdao – Xingang

FE 3:
South China/Hong Kong – Xiamen – Kaohsiung – South China/Hong Kong – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Antwerp – UK – East Med Hub – South East Asia Hub – South China/Hong Kong

FE 4:
Pusan – Ningbo – Shanghai – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Antwerp – UK – South China/Hong Kong – Pusan

FE 5:
Laem Chabang – Cai Mep – South East Asia Hub – Colombo – Rotterdam – Hamburg – UK – Antwerp – Jeddah – Colombo – South East Asia Hub – Laem Chabang

Asia and the Mediterranean

MD 1:
Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – South China/Hong Kong – South East Asia Hub – East Med Hub – Barcelona – Valencia – Fos – Genoa – East Med Hub – South East Asia Hub – South China/Hong Kong – Qingdao

MD 2:
Pusan – Ningbo – Shanghai – Kaohsiung – South China/Hong Kong – South East Asia Hub – Jeddah – La Spezia – Genoa – Barcelona – Valencia – South East Asia Hub – South China/Hong Kong – Pusan

MD 3:
Pusan – Shanghai – Ningbo – South China/Hong Kong – South East Asia Hub – Jeddah – East Med Hub – Ashdod – East Med Hub – Istanbul (Ambarli) – Izmir – Mersin – East Med Hub – Jeddah – South East Asia Hub – Kaohsiung – Pusan

Asia and the Middle East

AGX:
Pusan – Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – South China/Hong Kong – South East Asia Hub – Arabian Gulf Hub – Dammam – Jubail – Arabian Gulf Hub – South East Asia Hub – Ningbo – Pusan

Trans Pacific – West Coast

PN 1:
Qingdao – Shanghai – Nagoya – Tokyo – Pacific North-West (US) – Pacific North-West (CA) – Tokyo – Nagoya – Kobe – Qingdao

PN 2:
South East Asia Hub – Laem Chabang – Cai Mep – South China/Hong Kong – Xiamen – Kaohsiung – Pacific North-West (CA/US) – Pacific North-West (CA/US) – Tokyo – Kobe – Kaohsiung – South East Asia Hub

PN 3:
South China/Hong Kong – Ningbo – Shanghai – Pusan – Pacific North-West (CA) – Pacific North-West (US) – Pusan – South China/Hong Kong

PS 1:
Kobe – Nagoya – Tokyo – Sendai – Pacific South-West (US) – Tokyo – Nagoya – Kobe

PS 2:
Kobe – Nagoya – Shimizu – Tokyo – Pacific South-West (US) – Tokyo – Kobe

PS 3:
South East Asia Hub – Laem Chabang – Cai Mep – South China/Hong Kong – Pacific South-West (US) – Tokyo – South China/Hong Kong – South East Asia Hub

PS 4:
South China/Hong Kong – Kaohsiung – Keelung – Pacific South-West (US) – Keelung – Kaohsiung – South China/Hong Kong

PS 5:
Shanghai – Ningbo – Pacific South-West (US) – Shanghai

PS 6:
Qingdao – Ningbo – Shanghai – Pusan – Pacific South-West (US) – Pusan – Qingdao

PS 7:
Xiamen – South China/Hong Kong – Pacific South-West (US) – Xiamen

PS 8:
Dalian – Xingang – Qingdao – Pusan – Pacific South-West (US) – Pusan – Dalian

Trans Pacific – East Coast (via Panama and Suez)

EC 1:
Ningbo – Shanghai – Pusan – Tokyo – (Panama Canal) – Caribbean Hub – South Atlantic (US) – Norfolk – Miami (Seasonal) – Caribbean Hub – (Panama Canal) – Balboa – Pacific South-West (US) – Tokyo – Kobe – Ningbo

EC 2:
Qingdao – Ningbo – Shanghai – Pusan – (Panama Canal) – New York – Boston – South Atlantic (US) – (Panama Canal) – Pusan – Qingdao

EC 3:
Kaohsiung – Xiamen – South China/Hong Kong – Shanghai – (Panama Canal) – South Atlantic (US) – Norfolk – (Panama Canal) – Balboa – Pusan – Kaohsiung

EC 4:
Kaohsiung – South China/Hong Kong – Cai Mep – South East Asia Hub – (Suez Canal) – New York – Norfolk – South Atlantic (US) – (Suez Canal) – South East Asia Hub – Kaohsiung

EC 5:
Laem Chabang – Cai Mep – South East Asia Hub – Colombo – (Suez Canal) – Halifax – New York – South Atlantic (US) – Norfolk – Halifax – (Suez Canal) – Arabian Gulf Hub – South East Asia Hub – Laem Chabang

Trans Atlantic

AL 1:
Bremerhaven – Antwerp – UK – Norfolk – Philadelphia – New York – Halifax – Bremerhaven

AL 2:
UK – Le Havre – Rotterdam – Bremerhaven – New York – South Atlantic (US) – UK

AL 3:
Antwerp – Bremerhaven – UK – South Atlantic (US) – Port Everglades – Houston – South Atlantic (US) – Norfolk – Antwerp

AL 4:
UK – Antwerp – Bremerhaven – Le Havre – Veracruz – Altamira – Houston – New Orleans – Mobile – UK

AL 5:
UK – Rotterdam – Bremerhaven – Antwerp – Le Havre – South Atlantic (US) – Caribbean Hub – Pacific South-West (US) – Pacific North-West (US) – Pacific North-West (CA) – Pacific South-West (US) – Balboa – Caribbean Hub – South Atlantic (US) – UK

AL 6:
Livorno – La Spezia – Genoa – Fos – Barcelona – Valencia – West Med Hub – Halifax – New York – Norfolk – South Atlantic (US) – West Med Hub – Valencia – Livorno