GRAND ALLIANCE-AMERICANA SHIPS COOPERATION COMES INTO FOCUS

GRAND ALLIANCE-AMERICANA SHIPS COOPERATION COMES INTO FOCUS    Additional details on the planned cooperation among member lines of the Grand Alliance and Americana Ships was provided Thursday by a spokesman for OOCL, a Grand Alliance member.
   The five planned loops, which are expected to start July 1 — pending regulatory approvals — connect North Europe with:
   * The U.S. North Atlantic, and the South Atlantic and Gulf, using eight 2,700-TEU ships deployed in two separate rotations. One rotation will start in the North Atlantic and work south, while the other will start south and work north along the North American cost.
   * U.S. South Atlantic and Gulf, using five 2,800-TEU ship.
   * Gulf and Mexico, using five ships of 2,300 to 2,500-TEU capacity.
   * Part of the Grand's existing PAX service, an Asia/Europe pendulum service using 13 vessels of 4,000 TEUs, the OOCL spokesman said.
   For OOCL, the Grand-Americana cooperation will give the shipping line eight transatlantic services, not counting the Grand Alliance's AEX service to the Mediterranean. OOCL cooperates with CP Ships' Canada Maritime and Cast in three separate North Europe/Montreal services
   CP Ships owns American Ships, which operates Lykes and TMM.