CARRIERS MERGE SERVICES IN ASIA/AFRICA/BRAZIL TRADE

CARRIERS MERGE SERVICES IN ASIA/AFRICA/BRAZIL TRADE    Kien Hung, NYK Line and Compania Sud Americana de Vapores have substantially cut ship capacity in the Asia/South Africa/East Coast of South America liner trade, by merging two joint services and leaving behind former cooperative partners.
   The revised service of the three-carrier consortium    — Super Good Hope Express — will utilize 11 vessels of about 2,500-TEU capacity. It replaces two 11-ship operations: the former Good Hope Express service of NYK Line, Compania Sud Americana de Vapores, Norsul, Quadrant and CMA CGM, and the former joint service of Kien Hung, Lykes and TMM.
   Lykes and TMM will not join the merged service, and their future presence on this route is unclear. Norsul and Quadrant are expected to pull out of the trade.
.    CMA CGM will take space on the new Super Good Hope Express service, which will have a rotation of Busan, Moji, Nagoya, Yokohama, Keelung, Hong Kong, Singapore, Durban, Santos, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio Grande, Paranagua, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Singapore, Hong Kong and Busan.
   The merger of the two services follows reports of overcapacity and rate decreases in the Asia/South Africa/East Coast of South America trade.