ZIM adjusts Asia-Mediterranean loops

The Israeli carrier will add a westbound Ashdod call and remove a westbound Port Kelang call on its joint EMX loop with OOCL, and will add Xingang and Qingdao calls to its AME loop.    Ocean carrier ZIM will adjust its Asia-Mediterranean AME and EMX loops in mid-October.
   The AME currently has a rotation of Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Cochin, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Mundra, Haifa, Ashdod, Alexandria, Mersin and Xiamen.
   According to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting, the loop operates with eight vessels provided by ZIM with an average capacity of 4,100 TEUs. ZIM’s subsidiary Gold Star Line purchases slots on the AME.
   The AME service will add calls to Xingang and Qingdao and increase its total rotation time from eight weeks to nine weeks, ZIM said in a statement. These changes will take effect with the Oct. 10 sailing of the Beatrice Schulte from Xiamen, according to ZIM and Gold Star Line’s online service schedules.
   The revised port rotation of the loop will then be  Xiamen, Xingang, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Cochin, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Mundra, Haifa, Ashdod, Alexandria, Mersin and Xiamen.
   Gold Star Line will continue to omit Mediterranean calls on the AME, according to its online service schedules.
   ZIM and OOCL jointly operate the EMX, which has a rotation of Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Haifa, Ambarli (Istanbul), Novorossiysk, Odessa, Ambarli (Istanbul), Haifa, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Port Kelang, Da Chan Bay and Busan. Gold Star Line purchases slots on the loop, which operates with 10 vessels with an average capacity of 4,251 TEUs, according to BlueWater Reporting.
   The EMX is scheduled to skip its scheduled sailing for Oct. 3.
   The loop will add an Ashdod call on its westbound leg and drop a Port Kelang call on its westbound leg. These changes, which will take effect with the Oct. 17 sailing of the ZIM Shekou from Busan, will not affect the EMX’s total rotation time of 10 weeks round, according to all participating carriers’ online service schedules.
   The revised port rotation of the EMX will then be Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Da Chan Bay, Ashdod, Haifa, Ambarli (Istanbul), Novorossiysk, Odessa, Ambarli (Istanbul), Haifa, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Port Kelang, Da Chan Bay and Busan.
   Gold Star Line will continue to omit calls at Haifa, Odessa and Novorossiysk on the EMX and will also omit calls at Ashdod on the loop, according to its online service schedules.
   In sum, a total of 26 container shipping services deploy capacity from Asia to the Mediterranean and 23 container shipping services deploy capacity from the Mediterranean to Asia, deploying 251,317 TEUs a week and 229,570 TEUs a week, respectively, according to BlueWater Reporting’s Capacity Report.