MAERSK SEALAND, APL AND MOL TO START ATLANTIC PACT IN OCTOBER

MAERSK SEALAND, APL AND MOL TO START ATLANTIC PACT IN OCTOBER    Maersk Sealand, APL and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will start exchanging space in the transatlantic trade in October as part of a three-loop cooperative agreement.
   The three carriers and Hyundai Merchant Marine had announced a plan to cooperate last April, but without mentioning an effective date for their agreement, and its contents, until the pact’s details were finalized.
   At present, APL and MOL take space from Lykes Lines’ transatlantic service and Hyundai is tied to a transatlantic slot–charter agreement with Mediterranean Shipping Co. until the end of the year.
   Jesper Kjaedegaard, senior vice president of Maersk Sealand, said that the joint Atlantic services will include a service loop run by Maersk Sealand with 4,000-TEU Atlantic-class ships, otherwise known as Econships, and one operated by the New World Alliance carriers with 2,800-TEU vessels.
   It will also include the Atlantic leg of Maersk Sealand’s continued Northern Europe/U.S. East Coast/U.S. West Coast/Asia “pendulum” service.
   The 2,800-TEU service that will be run by the New World Alliance carriers APL, MOL and Hyundai will be an extension of their existing Asia/U.S. East Coast all-water service, across the Atlantic.
   Under a slot-charter agreement, Maersk Sealand will make available to MOL an average of 250 TEU slots eastbound and westbound on a weekly basis in the trade between U.S. East and Gulf ports and ports in Northern Europe.
   It is not known how much space APL will have on the vessels of Maersk Sealand.
   Hyundai has not announced when it will participate fully in the Maersk Sealand/New World Alliance agreement.
   A spokesman for APL said that the port rotations and details of the three joint transatlantic services will be announced on Wednesday