Maersk Sealand revises transpacific services

Maersk Sealand revises transpacific services    Maersk Sealand is amending three of its transpacific services, partly to free up two vessels that will be used elsewhere in its network.
   The “TP6/AE5” pendulum service, which covers the transpacific and Asia/North Europe trades under one rotation, will now be operated with 11 ships instead of 13. In Europe, the vessels of the “TP6/AE5” service will turn around in Algeciras, Spain, instead of proceeding to North Europe. In the United States, the service will stop calling at the port of Tacoma, while, in Asia, the service will provide direct sailings from Los Angeles to Kaohsiung without the previous intermediate calls at Yokohama and Kobe.
   A spokesman for Maersk Sealand in Copenhagen said the changes will release two “S-class” post-Panamax vessels from the “TP6/AE5” service. The transpacific rotation of the service has become Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Yantian, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian and Singapore.
   Ports no longer served by the “TP6/AE5” service in northern Europe will be picked up by Maersk Sealand’s new Asia/Europe “AE7” service and by other services, the spokesman added.
   In addition, the Danish mega-carrier is changing the rotation of its “TP8” and “TP5/FEME” transpacific loops. The “TP8” link will now call Yantian, Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Los Angeles, Oakland, Tacoma, Yokohama, Kobe, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong and Yantian. The “TP5/FEME” operation will call Hong Kong, Nagoya, Yokohama, Oakland, Los Angeles, Kwangyang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Yantian, Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Dubai, Mumbai and Colombo.
   CP Ships will take slots on the Maersk Sealand ships in the “TP8” and “TP5/FEME” between ports in the Far East and ports in the United States.