COSCO AND EVERGREEN FINALIZE MERGER OF ASIA/AUSTRALIA SERVICES

COSCO AND EVERGREEN FINALIZE MERGER OF ASIA/AUSTRALIA SERVICES    Taiwanese Evergreen Marine Corp. and China Ocean Shipping Co. have completed the integration of their Asia/Australia services.
   Two former Asia/Australia weekly services that were previously operated separately by Evergreen, COSCO and other carriers have now been integrated into two joint loops called “North Asia Express” and “Sino-Australia Service.”
   The Evergreen/COSCO “North Asia Express” service operates five 1,100-1,400 TEU ships. Unlike the “ASA (A)” service it replaces, the “North Asia Express” service does not call at Hong Kong. Its port rotation is Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Busan, Kaohsiung, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Busan and Kaohsiung.
   The former COSCO “Japan/Korea/China – East Australia” service has been renamed “Sino-Australia Service” and now concentrates exclusively on the China/Australia trade. The service uses five 1,400-TEU COSCO vessels, with one ship to be chartered to Evergreen, and has a rotation of Shanghai, Huangpu, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Huangpu.
   The first sailing of the service was scheduled to leave Shanghai today.
   Two members of the ASA consortium, Hanjin Shipping Co. and Regional Container Lines, take space on both the “North Asia Express” and the “Sino-Australia Service.”
   Lloyd Triestino, the Italian subsidiary of Evergreen, will not have space on the “Sino-Australia Service” loop, but it takes space on the “North Asia Express” and continues to have slots on the “ASA/SAX” Singapore service.
   COSCO’s “Japan/Korea/China – New Zealand” service is not affected by the changes.
   The transit times and days of departure and arrival of the new weekly services are posted on the free global sailing schedule database www.compairschedules.com.