DCN September Edition 2019

LINER TRADES TO EUROPE
And then
there were
two
Direct services between
Australia and Europe
have been on the
threatened species list
for years and this month
the number of survivors
shrinks from three to
two, despite reasonably
strong volume growth.
Dale Crisp reports.
I
told you so.”
Each year as the ANZ-Europe liner trade feature is being compiled DCN checks with a
veteran waterfront watcher for a dispassionate view of the state of play.
Reliably, for the last six years – or maybe more – our weathervane has confidently predicted
the demise of one or more of the direct services, on the basis that such expensive-tomaintain,
long-legged, thin-profit services are ever-vulnerable to competition from transhipment
providers and hard-headed internal accountants.
But despite a few wobbles over this time the status quo has been maintained: two direct services
via Suez, and one via Panama.
Until now. Finally our pundit has reason to crow, with the end of September seeing Hapag-
Lloyd’s withdrawal from the EAX service (jointly operated with CMA CGM, who label it NEMO)
in favour of relay over south-east Asian hubs.
Rumours that changes were afoot began circulating early this year but it was the first week of
March when MSC – rather than CMA CGM or Hapag-Lloyd (HLL) - broke cover.
BlackMac
24 September 2019
thedcn.com.au