Evergreen switches Asia-Oceania loops

   Evergreen Line has joined an Asia-Oceania service currently operated by Japan’s Big 3 lines, and has left a multi-operator service on the same trade, according to the Taiwan-based line’s forward schedules.
   Evergreen will join as a vessel operator a service called AU2 by MOL, ANA2 by NYK Line and NAE by “K” Line. Evergreen will call the service NEAX. Previously, MOL provided three vessels on the service, NYK two and “K” Line the other.
   Now MOL and “K” Line will provide two each, with NYK and Evergreen providing one each. The Evergreen vessel to be deployed on the service was previously used on its standalone transpacific all-water AUE loop. The new ships will add around 8 percent of deployed capacity to the service, taking the average vessel size from the previous 3,989 TEUs to 4,323 TEUs.
  Meanwhile, Evergreen has dropped out of the loop it called AAS, a five-ship Asia-Oceania service operated by five different carriers. Its last sailing on the service was to have commenced today.
   Evergreen will deploy the ship it provided on the AAS to the AUE loop, the transpacific service whose vessel will now be deployed on the new Asia-Oceania loop. Evergreen has also switched a vessel from its APG service between the Far East and Middle East to the AUE service, meaning the transpacific all-water loop will now be operated with nine vessels, instead of the current eight.
   The rotation for the NEAX will be Yokohama, Osaka, Busan, Shanghai, Yantian, Kaohsiung, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Yokohama. The rotation given by Evergreen leaves off an existing call at Nagoya – it’s not clear whether that call will be deleted on the service, or whether Evergreen is not marketing that particular call.
   The rotation of the AAS service that Evergreen is leaving is Kaohsiung, Yantian, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Kaohsiung. It appears the other four operators (APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hamburg Süd and Hyundai Merchant Marine) of that service will fill the fifth vessel slot with another ship from Hamburg Süd. Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Alianca all take slots on the service. — Eric Johnson