CHINA SHIPPING PLANS CHINA/MED, EUROPE SLOT SWAPS WITH CMA CGM

CHINA SHIPPING PLANS CHINA/MED, EUROPE SLOT SWAPS WITH CMA CGM    China Shipping Group and CMA CGM plan to exchange slots and align schedules on their services between Asia and the Mediterranean/northern Europe by March, subject to regulatory approval.
   A spokesman for China Shipping said the primary objective would be for CSG and CMA CGM to swap space on each others’ ships so that both could offer service to a wider range of ports than they served alone. However, it was expected that, working together, they would also adjust their respective port calls to increase the mutual advantage.
   CMA CGM would not comment.
   CSG has two separate services in this trade lane, one mainly from China to northern Europe and another to the Mediterranean.
   CMA CGM operates four Asia/Europe services with various partners and takes space on an Asia/Europe loop operated by COSCO/Yangming/”K” Line, through a recent slot-exchange agreement with “K” Line.
   With the two CSG services, the COSCO/”K” Line/Yangming service, and its own U.S./Asia/Europe “NCJ” pendulum, CMA CGM will offer three heavily China-oriented services to and from Europe each week; one to north Europe exclusively, one exclusively to the Mediterranean, and the “NCJ” serves both.
   Viewed from main ports in Asia, CMA CGM will have access to four sailings per week connecting Hong Kong with both northern Europe and the Mediterranean, while Singapore will have three.
   In separate developments China Shipping and CMA have been establishing new partnerships in the Pacific. CSG plans to begin a slot-exchange with Zim Israel Navigation and CMA CGM is similarly talking with Norasia. CMA CGM is also planning a new Asia/U.S. East Coast all-water service with Kien Hung.