Multiple ocean carriers join Asia-Oceania loop

Hanjin, Yang Ming, Sinotrans and TS Lines will join an existing service between Asia and Oceania following the termination of the joint Hanjin, Yang Ming and TS Lines CKA loop between these two regions.    Ocean carriers Hanjin, Yang Ming, Sinotrans and TS Lines will join a service between Asia and Oceania, following the termination of a similar service earlier this month.
   The joint Asia-Oceania CKA loop, which had a rotation of Busan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Busan, ended with the sailing of the Hanjin Newport, which departed Busan Feb. 1.
   Hanjin, Yang Ming and TS Lines provided vessels for the CKA, while Sinotrans and Evergreen Line purchased slots on the loop. As of now, Evergreen Line does not appear to be making the jump to this other Asia-Oceania loop with its fellow CKA partners.
   The service Hanjin, Yang Ming, Sinotrans and TS Lines are joining is referred to as the AU2 by MOL, AEA3 by OOCL, NAE by COSCO, ESACO by “K” Line and ANA2 by NYK, all of whom are already active on the loop.
   This string has a rotation of Yokohama, Osaka, Busan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Yokohama.
   Hanjin will join the loop as a vessel provider, while Yang Ming will join as a slot purchaser with the Feb. 18 sailing of the Hanjin Montevideo from Busan, according to their most recent online service schedules. Sinotrans’ schedule shows it will join with this voyage from Yokohama Feb. 14 as a slot purchaser. Hanjin refers to the loop as the FOX, while Yang Ming has dubbed it the NAX and Sinotrans calls it the NEAX.
   TS Lines will join the loop with the first northbound vessel to depart Melbourne March 16, the Hanjin Milano, referring to it as the NEAX, according to Oceanic Shipping Agencies, an independent shipping agency that represents TS Lines in Australia.
   With the joining of Hanjin, Yang Ming and Sinotrans next week, Hanjin will provide two vessels, while COSCO, “K” Line, MOL and OOCL will each provide one vessel. In addition to Yang Ming and Sinotrans, NYK will act as a slot purchaser. These six vessels combined have an average vessel capacity of 4,429 TEUs according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.  
   In sum, 25 container shipping carriers currently deploy capacity across 25 services that serve the Asia to Oceania trade, while on the northbound route, 25 container shipping carriers deploy capacity across 27 services that serve the trade, according to data from BlueWater Reporting’s Carrier Trade Route Deployment Report and Capacity Report applications.