YANGMING, HANJIN EXCHANGE EUROPE/ASIA SLOTS

YANGMING, HANJIN EXCHANGE EUROPE/ASIA SLOTS    Yangming Marine Transport and Hanjin Shipping have arranged an exchange of slots on their Europe/Asia sailings in both directions. The agreement begins in the first week of March. Yangming will take a minimum of 100 TEUs per vessel on the Asia/Europe leg of Hanjin’s “PDM A” U.S./Asia/Europe pendulum service.
   Hanjin will take an equivalent number of slots on the “Europe/Asia” service which Yangming operates jointly with COSCO Container Lines and “K” Line.
   A spokesman for Yangming said that the slot exchange applies only to the Europe/Asia leg of Hanjin’s Europe/Asia/North America service because neither China’s Ministry of Communications nor the European Commission required prior notification. In U.S.-based trades the Federal Maritime Commission would always become involved, he said.
   Yangming would benefit from the agreement with Hanjin in gaining a direct westbound loading call at Busan, and eastbound calls in Yantian and Kaohsiung, he said.
   In main ports, at both ends of the trade, Yangming will gain a third service every week instead of two, he said.