Evergreen, Maersk to swap slots on Asia/Europe services

Evergreen, Maersk to swap slots on Asia/Europe services Evergreen Line and Maersk Line have signed a cooperative agreement that will see the two container shipping companies exchange slots on two services in the Asia/Europe trade from March.
   As a result of the agreement, Copenhagen, Denmark-based Maersk will take space on Evergreen’s China-Europe-Mediterranean (CEM) service, while the Taiwanese line will gain slots on Maersk's AE2 loop.
   The cooperation will start westbound on the CEM with the departure of the Ital Contessa from Kaoshiung on March 6. The partnership on the AE2 will begin on March 9 with the sailing of the Grete Maersk from Busan.
   The CEM has a port rotation of Kaohsiung, Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Le Havre, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Thamesport, Port Said, Tanjung Pelepas and Kaohsiung.
   The AE2 calls at Busan, Kwangyang, Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Salalah and back to Busan.
   'Evergreen is a big believer in the benefits of slot-sharing arrangements and joint services. We expect both Evergreen and Maersk to see significantly upgraded service coverage and more efficiently utilized capacity on the crucial Asia/Europe trade route as a result of this slot exchange agreement,” said Evergreen Marine Corp. President Jack Yen. “Moreover, we expect the agreement with Maersk to further positively impact on Evergreen's performance in terms of operating costs.'
   In a statement, Maersk said: “The cooperation allows both carriers to enhance their range of services to the benefit of their customers.”