Maersk adds Qingdao to Asia-Europe loop

   Maersk Line has added a call at Qingdao to one of its core Asia-Europe services.
   The call has been added to its AE7 service, which now has a rotation of Qingdao, Ningbo, Shangai, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Tangiers, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Tangiers, Jeddah, Jebel Ali, Da Chan Bay, and Qingdao.
   The standalone service is operated by 10 vessels with an average capacity of 8,775 TEUs, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   The service is included in Maersk’s new Daily Maersk product, which in October will provide shippers with daily cut-offs at four ports in Asia and guaranteed delivery times at three ports in northern Europe.
   Under Daily Maersk, the guaranteed transportation time between Shanghai and Rotterdam is 34 days. The AE7 currently has transit times of 32 days between Shanghai and Rotterdam.
   Because Qingdao is called prior to the four ports covered in Daily Maersk (Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, and Tanjung Pelepas), it is unlikely to have an impact on the new product, which only covers westbound trade.