Details emerge for 4-carrier Asia/Adriatic loop

Details emerge for 4-carrier Asia/Adriatic loop    American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data has filled in some informational gaps regarding a recently announced new service between four carriers linking the Far East and Adriatic Sea.
   In early May, Yang Ming, Hanjin Shipping, Hyundai Merchant Marine and United Arab Shipping Co. said they would launch an eight-ship service with a rotation of Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Singapore, Colombo, Jeddah, Port Said, Alexandria, Mersin, Koper, Trieste, Rijeka, Venice, Port Said, Singapore, Hong Kong and Busan.
   But at the time, the carriers didn't specify how many vessels each carrier would provide, nor the exact size of the vessels on the new AAX service.
   According to ComPair Data, Yang Ming, Hanjin and Hyundai will each provide two vessels, with UASC providing one. The eighth ship in the service has yet to be named. The average vessel size for the service thus far is 4,419 TEUs. The loop begins in Busan May 30.
   The new AAX is one of many on the Asia/South Europe trade that has seen new partnerships emerge. Yang Ming is also involved in the ABX service between the Far East and Black Sea in which four other carriers (China Shipping, PIL, Wan Hai and “K” Line) provide vessels and two others (FESCO and HDS Lines) take slots. That’s outside of Yang Ming’s involvement in the CKYH Alliance, which operates three Asia/Med loops, the MD1, MD2 and MD3.
   Hanjin, another CKYH member, also takes slots on a UASC Asia/Med loop (the AEC1), while Hanjin and UASC both take slots on a China Shipping Asia/Med service (the MEX). UASC also takes slots on CKYH’s MD2 service, as does China Shipping.
   Meanwhile, Hyundai, a member of the New World Alliance, might have the biggest list of partnerships on the Asia/Med trade. The AAX is the sixth service the carrier offers on the trade, with the other five all offered through slot charter. Because the New World and Grand alliances have combined on a number of Asia/Europe loops, Hyundai essentially has five partners on its core services on the trade. The two alliances together run two services between Asia and the Mediterranean — the EU M/MED, and the Hapag-Lloyd-operated Loop B pendulum service that has one Med call at Port Said.
   Outside of the New World-Grand alliances, Hyundai also buys slots on two CMA CGM services (the FAL 1 and FAL 3) between Asia, the Mediterranean and northern Europe. Maersk, ANL, China Shipping, Evergreen, FESCO and the other New World Alliance members (APL and MOL) buy slots on the FAL 1, while Maersk provides one vessel on the FAL 3, where the New World carriers and China Shipping take slots. Hyundai also buys slots on Evergreen’s UAM pendulum between the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Asia and the Mediterranean, as do the other NWA carriers and CSAV Norasia.