Evergreen Line integrates with Alibaba

The Taiwanese ocean carrier will initially offer direct, online booking to Alibaba.com’s customers from China’s main ports to Israel and the South American region.    Taiwanese ocean carrier Evergreen Line has teamed up with e-commerce marketplace Alibaba.com for the online booking of containers on selected services from China, the carrier said Tuesday.
   The move stems from the e-commerce boom, which has resulted in small, fragmented orders from global buyers.
   Shippers can search for freight rates and reserve cargo space on the Alibaba platform directly, and once a booking is confirmed, the selected price is locked in. The rate will not change regardless of how the market price changes.
   At the initial stage, Evergreen Line will be offering Alibaba suppliers the booking facility on routes from China’s main ports to Israel and the South American region.
   Offerings include select ports on the FEM, ESA and WSA/WSA2 services.
   Broken down by service:
     • For the FEM, loading ports include Shekou and Yantian, with the Israeli discharge ports being Ashdod and Haifa;
     • For the ESA, loading ports include Shanghai, Ningbo and Yantian, with the South American discharge ports being Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Itaguai, Santos, Paranagua, Navegantes and Rio Grande;
     • And for the WSA and WSA2, loading ports include Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou and Yantian, with the South American discharge ports being Buenaventura, Guayaquil and Callao.
   Evergreen Line has also appointed Evergreen Logistics Corp. as a designated provider of logistics solutions for Alibaba members opting for its sea freight services.
   CMA CGM signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate with Alibaba back in February, following an arrangement between Maersk Line and Alibaba that was established in January.