Maersk, CMA CGM unhitch Asia/Europe links

Maersk, CMA CGM unhitch Asia/Europe links    European container shipping lines Maersk Line and CMA CGM have temporarily decoupled on the Asia/northern Europe trade lane in advance of the launch of a mega-vessel loop the two plan to launch in July, according to research by American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   Maersk and CMA CGM, the world's largest and third-largest container lines, have cooperated in vessel sharing agreements in the transpacific and Far East/Europe lanes the past few years, a partnership that seemingly strengthened as the container shipping industry sank into crisis in 2009.
   However, ComPair Data has unearthed the two lines have ended their cooperation on four Asia/northern Europe loops, as detailed below. The two lines will, however, continue to collaborate on a number of Asia/Mediterranean services and will introduce their new giant ship Asia/northern Europe loop on the trade within weeks.
   ComPair Data has learned that:
   ' CMA CGM has left Maersk Line's 10-ship AE7 loop, which connects China's major ports with Med transshipment ports and northern European hub ports.
   ' CMA CGM has also left Maersk's nine-ship AE9 loop, which connects Southeast Asia with the Middle East, Mediterranean and northern Europe.
   ' Maersk has left CMA CGM's 10-ship FAL 1 service, which connected major Chinese ports to the Middle East and Med and northern European ports.
   ' Maersk has also left CMA CGM's eight-ship FAL 3 service, which connects a variety of Chinese and Southeast Asian ports with northern Europe and the eastern Med and Middle East.
   Of note, Maersk subsidiary Safmarine takes slots on both the AE7 and AE9, while CMA CGM charters slots to APL, China Shipping, Evergreen, FESCO, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL and its own subsidiary ANL on the FAL 1 service. It also charters slots to China Shipping, Hyundai and ANL on the FAL 3.
   Maersk and CMA CGM will still cooperate on:
   ' The AE3/BEX service between Asia and Black Sea (with Maersk providing six ships and CMA CGM five).
   ' The AE11 service between Asia and the Mediterranean (with Maersk providing eight ships and CMA CGM two).
   ' The PHEX/AE12 service between Asia and the Mediterranean (with CMA CGM providing five ships and Maersk and Safmarine each providing two).
   Meanwhile, the two carriers are expected to next monthlaunch a 10-ship Asia/Europe service using exclusively 13,000-TEU vessels. Each carrier will provide five vessels on the service, which will be branded AE8 by Maersk and FAL 5 by CMA CGM, and will have a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Kelang, Le Havre, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Port Kelang, Singapore, Ningbo.
   While CMA CGM is Maersk's lone partner on the Asia/Europe lane aside from Safmarine, CMA CGM partners fairly extensively with the New World Alliance carriers (aside from selling slots to them on the FAL 1, it buys slots on the NWA's AEX, JEX, and SCX services). CMA CGM also buys slots from Evergreen on its CES Asia/Europe loop.
   About the partnership with Maersk, CMA CGM Executive Officer Rodolphe Saad' said to American Shipper in May that 'we find with Maersk, we share the same ideas on operational strategy. We are very pragmatic with these agreements. If we feel it is better to not do business together, we can split. We feel it is a good partnership. We share pretty much the same views.' ' Eric Johnson