Grand Alliance suspends transpacific service for winter

Grand Alliance suspends transpacific service for winter    Grand Alliance carriers Hapag-Lloyd, NYK, OOCL and P&O Nedlloyd are suspending temporarily their Far East Express (FEX) transpacific service, with effect from the last week of January.
   This is the second transpacific service suspended by the Grand Alliance in recent weeks, following the ending of the Asia/U.S. East Coast “ECX2” loop.
   The Asia/U.S. West Coast FEX service has employed five ships of 6,200-TEU capacity. It is one of the alliance’s seven Asia/U.S. West Coast weekly services.
   “This suspension is currently slated for a period of approximately six weeks and enables the Grand Alliance to perform regular vessel maintenance and scheduled fleet reassignments,” the alliance carriers said in a joint statement.
   The Grand Alliance said it will continue service coverage for ports called by the FEX service, primarily utilizing its South China Sea Express (SCX) loop.
   The alliance said that it will reinstate the FEX service with its current rotation if there is sufficient demand.
   The suspension of one transpacific service during the winter, after the end of the peak shipping season, has become a pattern of several major carrier groups in the transpacific. The New World Alliance has also suspended one of its Asia/U.S. West Coast services for the off-peak period.