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ALPHALINER Weekly Newsletter 2009-Week 17
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The duration of the rotation of the MEX loop will remain 10 weeks as the
Lianyungang and Qingdao calls are to be removed and covered with the
Maersk Line / CMA CGM joint Asia-Med loop (AE-11), within the frame of
the recently announced VSA with Maersk Line on the Asia-Med route.
Besides, the Jeddah call is removed from the MEX and a Beirut call is
added (Beirut is removed from the PHEX/LEVEX).
Maersk Line swaps European ports on AE loops
Maersk Line is to bring a few alterations to the European range covered by
its Asia-Europe AE-1 loop, effective May 2009. Felixstowe will replace
Southampton while Le Havre will be moved to the AE-10 loop, where it
becomes the first import call (Le Havre is already served by the AE-1 as an
export call). These two loops will continue to be served by a common set
of 19 ships of 8,500 teu alternating on both loops.
MOL to boost its intra-Asia JSS 1 loop
MOL is to inject 4,600-,5,000 teu ships on its core intra-Asia Japan-Straits
'Super Express' 1 service (JSS 1 / CHS-1), thus increasing its capacity by
around 20% (from 4,000 teu to 4,800 teu). MOL is to assign to the JSS 1 the
5,087 teu MOL EMERALD (newbuilding) and the 4,646 teu MOL ENCORE
(transferred from the trimmed-down FE-Australia service run by NYK /
MOL and K Line - 7256 and the 4,646 teu MOL EXPEDITOR (ex APL
EXPEDITOR returned to MOL). They will replace the 4,180 teu MOL ELBE
and MOL INGENUITY, and the 3,733 teu MOL THAMES.
The previous JSS 1 capacity upgrade dates back to November 2007, when
it was boosted from 2,790 teu to 3,840 teu. This service is also used by
various slot buyers including Interasia Lines, Wan Hai and MISC.
K Line launches Shanghai–Japan loop
K Line is to launch its own Shanghai-Tokyo-Yokohama service, using the
1,133 teu CHIANGMAI BRIDGE, with Shanghai Hai Hua (Hasco) taking slots.
The Shanghai-Osaka-Kobe service launched last December is replaced by a
slot allocation on the relevant Hasco loop.
SCI/MSC team up on ISES – K Line/YML drop out
S.C. India is to team up with MSC on a new Indian Subcontinent Europe
Service (ISES), to be run with ships of 4,000-4,500 teu. For S.C. India, it
will replace the current ISES service, operated in partnership with K Line
and Yang Ming. This latter service was originally run with seven ships but
was cut to only four ships after the departure of MISC Bhd and Zim. S.C.
India had lately added a fifth ship, the recently chartered 3,359 teu E.R.
SYDNEY, joining the two ships of 4,400 teu already deployed by the Indian
carrier, and the two 2,878 teu / 3,266 teu ships provided by K Line and
Yang Ming. These two latter carriers are probably to continue service the
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