The ocean carrier alliance is terminating its Asia-North Europe NE8 loop this month, which will result in a 10.9 percent drop in its weekly deployed capacity on the trade, according to data from BlueWater Reporting.
Members of the CKYHE Alliance – COSCO, “K” Line, Yang Ming, Hanjin and Evergreen Line – are restructuring their service network on the Asia-North Europe and the Asia-Mediterranean trades from the end of March 2016.
The alliance will then provide five Asia-North Europe services (the NE2, NE3, NE5-CEM, NE6 and NE7) and four Asia-Mediterranean services (the MD1, MD2, HPM-MD3 and FEM), according to a statement from Hanjin.
The NE8, which currently serves the Asia-North Europe trade, will cease operations with the March 20 sailing of the Ever Linking from Taipei, according to Evergreen Line’s most recent online service schedules. The loop’s rotation is Taipei, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shekou, Colombo, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Colombo and Taipei. A total of 10 vessels with an average capacity of 8,222 TEUs operate on the NE8, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.
The NE2 will drop its westbound call at Piraeus and add a call at Ho Chi Minh with the April 2 sailing of the Millau Bridge from Hong Kong, according to Yang Ming’s online service schedules. The loop with then have a rotation of Hong Kong, Nansha, Kaohsiung, Yantian, Ho Chi Minh, Singapore, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, Piraeus, Singapore and Hong Kong. A total of 10 vessels with an average vessel capacity of 13,985 TEUs operate on the NE2, according to BlueWater Reporting.
The NE3’s rotation of Xingang, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Singapore, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp Shanghai and Xingang will remain unchanged. A total of 11 vessels with an average capacity of 12,944 TEUs operate on the service.
The NE5 will add calls at Taipei and Colombo with the March 27 sailing of the Thalassa Nikki from Kaohsiung, according to Yang Ming’s online service schedules. The loop’s revised port rotation will then be Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Ningbo, Taipei, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Colombo, Tanjung Pelepas and Kaohsiung. A total of 10 vessels with an average capacity of 13,806 TEUs currently operate on the NE5.
The NE6 will drop calls at Qingdao, Gwangyang, Jeddah and Le Havre with the April 4 sailing of the Hanjin Harmony from Busan, according to Yang Ming’s online service schedules. The loop will then begin operating with nine vessels with a revised port rotation of Busan, Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore, Algeciras, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Algeciras, Singapore, Yantian and Busan. Currently, 11 vessels with an average vessel capacity of 12,540 TEUs operate on the NE6.
The NE7 will drop calls at Singapore, but will add calls at Shekou, Colombo and Felixstowe with the March 29 sailing of an unknown vessel according to Evergreen Line. The service’s rotation will then be Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shekou, Colombo, Piraeus, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Piraeus and Xiamen. According to BlueWater Reporting, the loop operates with 10 vessels with an average capacity of 13,812 TEUs.
Overall, the only CKYHE Alliance Asia-North Europe service to change vessel count will be the NE6. The above chart, built with data from BlueWater Reporting’s Capacity Report, illustrates that with the termination of the NE8, the CKYHE Alliance’s weekly deployed capacity from Asia to North Europe will decrease by 10.9 percent, from 75,309 TEUs to 67,087 TEUs.
Meanwhile, on the Asia-Mediterranean trade, the CKYHE Alliance will launch its HPM/MD3, which will operate with 15 vessels with an average capacity of 10,000 TEUs, Hanjin said. The service will have a rotation of Busan, Gwangyang, Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore, Jeddah, Port Said, Malta, La Spezia, Valencia, Barcelona, Genoa, Malta, Jeddah, Singapore, Yantian, Shanghai, Gwangyang, Busan, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Busan.
The MD2 will drop calls at Port Said and Ashdod, but will add calls at Piraeus and Colombo, resulting in a revised port rotation of Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Kaohsiung, Yantian, Singapore, Piraeus, Genoa, Barcelona, Marseilles-Fos (Fos), Piraeus, Colombo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Xiamen. According to BlueWater Reporting, the loop currently operates with 10 vessels with an average vessel capacity of 8,263 TEUs. Once the MD2 alters its rotation, it will continue to operate with 10 vessels, but the average capacity of these vessels is not yet clear.
The ADR will be rebranded as the FEM. These changes will take effect with the April 2 sailing of the Hatsu Crystal from Qingdao according to Evergreen Line’s online service schedules. The rebranded service will drop calls at Koper, Trieste and Colombo, but will add a call at Singapore, resulting in a revised port rotation of Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Taipei, Yantian, Shekou, Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Ashdod, Alexandra, Piraeus, Jeddah, Tanjung Pelepas, Shekou, Kaohsiung and Qingdao. The current ADR operates with 10 vessels with an average capacity of 7,942 TEUs, according to BlueWater Reporting. Once the loop is rebranded, it will operate with eight vessels, but the average vessel capacity is not yet clear.
The MD1 will change its rotation to Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Nansha, Yantian, Singapore, Port Said, Ashdod, Piraeus, Genoa, Piraeus, Port Said, Port Kelang, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Yantian, Long Beach, Seattle and Qingdao. The loop currently operates with 16 vessels with an average capacity of 9,991 TEUs. However, the MD1 will downgrade to 15 vessels with the rotation change, according to Hanjin.
Correction: A previous version of this story said the FEM will operate with 10 vessels, however it will operate with eight vessels.